I, the mastermind behind the scenes at Soubu High, refuse to be caught in a bloodbath.

"But this is so strange! You know perfectly well that Xiaomo isn't capable of this kind of position, yet you still make her continue—"

"I just didn't expect Yukinoshita to take on most of her work, and I didn't expect her to do something so stupid."

"..."

After being lectured like this by Himekoji, Yukinoshita could only remain silent.

“And you, Hikigaya,” Yuihama said, seeing that Himekoji and Yukinoshita couldn’t take things any further, so she turned to Hikigaya and scolded him, “You promised me that you would help Yukinoshita if she was in trouble, but you still let her ruin her health.”

"Hikigaya is in the miscellaneous tasks department, and I never asked him to do anything beyond his job description. He has done his job well enough."

"But--"

"It's alright, there's still time, and the work progress hasn't been delayed. Yuihama-san, you don't need to worry too much."

"Isn't that strange?"

"Yeah..."

Yukinoshita looked at Himekoji, but Himekoji did not respond.

"From a general perspective, relying on others, helping each other, and supporting each other is the most correct thing to do. This can be said to be the most standard answer."

Hachiman, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke.

"Um..."

Yukinoshita seemed uninterested in listening to Hikigaya. Her hands, which had been crossed in front of her chest, fell limply to her sides, and her reply was devoid of emotion.

"However, those are all ideal scenarios, and the world won't change because of them. There will always be someone who draws the worst possible outcome, and someone who has to suffer losses and do more work, getting themselves into trouble. That's the real reality. So, I don't want you to rely on others or cooperate with others."

Yukino sighed helplessly.

"However, what you did was wrong."

"About this... someone already told me today, although your versions are slightly different."

The voice beneath the snow trembled, and her gaze drifted toward Himekoji.

"In that case, I've said nothing more, so please don't take it to heart."

Hikigaya took a small sip of the black tea from the tea tray, lowered his head, and said.

After sitting for a while, Hachiman said softly, "I'm going back." He stood up, and Yui Hama immediately got up as well, following Hachiman to the door. By this time, night had fallen, and it would be a little strange for Himekoji to stay here alone, but he chose to stay anyway.

Aren't you going back with them?

The unspoken message beneath the snow was a farewell to the guest.

"I still have one task to complete."

"I don't remember assigning you any tasks."

"Dinner is still unavailable. I'll prepare it right away. As for you, do you want to invite the two of them to stay for dinner?"

"That... I can do it myself."

"I'd better not cause you any more trouble, you sickly fellow."

The same words she had used to reprimand Yukinoshita this morning seemed to work very well on her. Yukinoshita froze on the spot, and then Himekoji pointed to the door and said, "You're the master, aren't you going to see her off?"

"Um..."

Yukinoshita took small, quick steps to Yuihama and Hikigaya's side, but Himekoji had no interest in what they were saying.

In the end, Yukinoshita did not ask Hikigaya and Yui to stay for dinner. Or rather, she tried to persuade them to stay, but Yui and Hikigaya did not choose to stay. None of this mattered to Himekoji.

After finishing dinner, Himekoji immediately said goodbye. Yukinoshita didn't try to stop him or even see him off at the entrance, as if she didn't know that such a person existed in the house.

As Himekoji got into his car, Reiko told him some rather surprising news.

Kitahara Haruki didn't come to his house today, and she won't come in the future either.

His message was: "I'm sorry I can't perform on stage with you, but I will do my best to help you behind the scenes. If you have any difficulties, please feel free to talk to me."

"That's exactly the kind of talk typical of a male protagonist in a visual novel," Himekoji observed.

That's fine, though. Since Kitahara can't participate in training, Himekoji doesn't have to worry about Kazusa anymore. However, it seems that because she is always too attentive to Kazusa, she doesn't have even the slightest interest in Kitahara.

However, in any case, it is still very necessary to take precautions.

As the head maid, Miss Reiko is also the chief information officer for all general matters in the household. She is the person Himekoji trusts most, second only to her family.

However, the Borgia family has a family motto: Family comes first.

Back home, Himekoji thought that Setsuna would be very disappointed that Kitahara Haruki would no longer perform on stage with her, but she only said a few words and then stopped paying attention and began to concentrate on practicing, which surprised him and made him keep an eye on her.

Chapter 198 Unexpectedly, [Himekoji Haruto] took the first step.

"On another note, since Kitahara-kun has already left, we only need one car to pick us up and drop us off at school tomorrow, right?"

During a break from practice, Setsuna came to Himekoji's side and asked with a smile.

Because Himekoji and Kazusa both dislike being crammed into a car with too many people, Kazusa usually rides in one car with Setsuna, while Kitahara and Himekoji ride in another.

"If I were to ride in the same car as a school idol to and from school, it would cause a huge commotion. Also, Setsuna, please think about my pitiful reputation. I haven't done anything wrong, but people are saying that I'm some kind of wicked bastard."

Himekoji rubbed his temples, his head aching, while Setsuna covered her mouth and chuckled, playfully scolding, "Really, Himekoji-kun, you care too much about those baseless rumors. I'm just an ordinary girl, it's nothing."

Does she care? Himekoji wouldn't care at all. When news of Lucrecia Borgia's incestuous relationship with her father and brothers spread throughout Rome and even the aristocratic circles of Western Europe, the Borgia family never took it seriously. Moreover, she had been married three times, yet she still claimed to be a virgin.

Under the rule of power, all of that is meaningless.

Those who spread rumors are only good at spreading rumors.

“But that guy is right,” Kazusa said calmly as she rested and drank black coffee, “This is also for your sake, Ogiso.”

"Okay~~"

Xiao Mu made a ╮(╯＿╰)╭ gesture and obediently gave up the idea.

The repeated practice paid off, and Himekoji and Kazusa's teamwork was always excellent. However, if another person who wasn't in sync were added, it would be necessary to rebuild that synergy between the three of them. So, through the gradual refinement of their teamwork, the song "White Album" was basically completed.

"We still need to call Iizuka over for the training camp we agreed on. We promised to have him do the mixing, so we can't just leave it at that."

On Wednesday, Himekoji said this while taking a break after checking that there were no problems with "White Album".

"Besides, we also need to choose a second piece of music, so it's wise to ask him for his opinion."

Kazusa's current level of dislike for Iizuka is far lower than her dislike for Kitahara. After all, Iizuka learns from his mistakes and remembers them, unlike Kitahara who relentlessly pursues her.

"A second song? Really?! 'White Album' is already good enough?"

As the lead vocalist, Setsuna was undoubtedly the most surprising person.

Himekoji and Kazusa smiled and nodded in response to her surprise.

"Wow! That's great!" She first took Kazusa's hand, then Himekoji's hand, and looked at the two of them sincerely, saying, "I'm so grateful to have you two cooperate with this useless lead singer."

"Ah...nothing much...I'm pretty free anyway..."

"It's okay. Since you're the lead singer, I have to go along with you."

Himekoji's implication was that if he wasn't the lead singer, he could work with someone else. It seemed that Yuihama had the talent to be the lead singer, and Kazusa was perfectly capable of doing it. However, if Kazusa was the lead singer, then the music would have to be arranged by Yukinoshita, and he didn't want to waste the favor he had gained from Yukinoshita at this time.

Furthermore, if Yukinoshita and Kazusa team up, it'll probably cause a volcanic eruption... those two.

Of course, after inviting Iizuka Takeya to his home on Saturday, he was just as shocked as Setsuna and Kitahara were when they first came to Himekoji's house. However, unlike Setsuna and Kitahara who were frightened by the duck Haruto, he was bitten on the leg by the duck and was so painful that he jumped around on the ground, clutching his leg.

However, when Himekoji's mother appeared, Iizuka really wanted to grab her hand and ask, "Madam, what do you think of me?" (Himekoji Daphne: Not as handsome as my son.)

Even so, Himekoji's mother, who was familiar with Western etiquette, still kindly kissed the boy's hand. Iizuka followed suit, first pretending to take off his hat and bow, and then kissing his hand. Of course, there were rules to follow. Under normal circumstances, you can't actually kiss it; you just gently hold the fingertips and then kiss the ring.

"Okay, okay, let's test it first. I just brought my computer with me, so let's test the results of my mixing."

Having seen Himekoji's house, Iizuka was practically numb to it all, and the professional-level music studio no longer held any of his surprises.

"Ah."

Himekoji hung up her guitar and stood still, while Kazusa sat down at the piano. Setsuna seemed a little nervous, constantly patting her chest, looking exceptionally cute.

"すれviolationうeverydayが嗗えてゆくけれど

お mutual いの気hold ちはいつもlateral にいるよ

 …”

Accompanied by the two musicians, Setsuna regained her usual charm and sang naturally. Iizuka stared intently at the computer screen, his ears perked up, not uttering a sound.

"Ah—, that's great, that's great! I didn't expect you guys to be making such a fast pace. It's just a pity about Haruki; it looks like he won't be able to keep up with you guys."

While offering encouragement, Iizuka also shook his head, feeling sorry for Kitahara.

"After all, Himekoji-kun and Touma-san are already very good at playing instruments, so the three of us just need to coordinate well."

Yukina put her hands together, tilted her head, and said cutely.

"Well, after seeing President Himekoji's family background, I find it quite normal that he is proficient in multiple musical instruments."

"Touma-kun is also proficient in many kinds of musical instruments."

“…”

Iizuka, looking like he'd been defeated by the two of them, opened his drink and sat back down on the sofa. Himekoji and the other two followed suit and began discussing which song they should use for the second piece.

“The result is SOUND OF DESTINY…” Kazusa shook her head, slightly annoyed, and then grabbed Himekoji’s shoulder and asked, “Hey, you’re okay with this guitar solo, right?”

"How could I have a problem? Kazusa, you underestimate me."

"This guitar solo with its high-speed slide is quite difficult; even President Himekoji can do it."

"Hmph, don't underestimate Himekoji."

At this moment, Kazusa suddenly spoke up for Himekoji.

“Not really…” Kitahara leaned back, staring blankly at the ceiling, and said, “Such a high-speed glissando is basically an impossible task for Haruki right now. Would it really be better to give up?”

"If you can work out this piece with us quickly, Setsuna, I do have a plan for a third one."

While everyone was discussing the second piece, Himekoji was already thinking about the third.

Chapter 199 Something's Wrong, [Sagami Minami] Arrives Late

After all, the three of them have already developed a tacit understanding. As for the music, neither Himekoji nor Kazusa has any problems. As long as the lead singer can sing smoothly and skillfully, it can be completed in about two days, or even faster.