In fact, after the information is refreshed, they always want to attack me!

"Hehe..." Shimizu Akira chuckled softly without realizing it.

He suddenly realized that since that day, although Karuizawa Kei was still not very frank, her words and reactions had become inexplicably cute.

"But don't worry, things shouldn't be as bad as you think. The minister might not fire you."

"You probably heard it too. Those two senior managers weren't surprised at all when they heard you asked for leave, and they didn't seem worried at all that you would leave. It's strange, isn't it? According to this logic, you probably won't be fired."

However, Shimizu Akira added in his mind, "According to the intelligence, the other party is probably about to leave."

Karuizawa Kei unconsciously pricked up her ears to listen—after all, it was rare for Shimizu Akira to know how to comfort someone.

After thinking about it carefully, I found that what the other person said seemed to make some sense.

Although she took so many days off, she maintained a good relationship with those two senior managers.

If I were really going to leave, they wouldn't be able to maintain their usual calm expressions. Even if it was just polite talk, they should at least say a few words to persuade me to stay or to comfort me.

Chapter 164: 161 Shimizu, you seem to underestimate the president.

Before long, it was time for the boxing club to begin its activities.

This time, however, Minister Sato specifically gathered everyone together.

"Before we begin the event, there's something I want to announce to everyone."

Sato stood on the ring, her gaze first sweeping over Karuizawa Kei—her heart suddenly tightened, and she inexplicably felt that the bad news she had been worried about was about to come true.

Before she could think it through, Sato's gaze quickly shifted away from her and unconsciously fell on Shimizu Akira and Yamada Albert.

"You freshmen have done a great job! Especially Shimizu and Yamada, you two will be able to practice boxing in the ring this month, and maybe even have a demonstration match next month. Keep up the good work! Students from other classes will be watching your matches!"

"Of course! When I invited you to join the club, I said that boxing isn't free! The club will give you a share of the appearance fee based on the number of tickets other students buy. In short, if other freshmen perform well, they'll also have a chance to step into the ring—speaking of which, it's also a great opportunity to find a girlfriend! I met my current girlfriend while boxing!"

"Finally, Karuizawa and Shimizu, you two come to me. I have something to say to you!"

When Karuizawa heard her name, her body stiffened involuntarily, and her heart, which had just relaxed slightly, jumped again.

But when she heard that Shimizu Akira's name was also mentioned, she inexplicably felt a little more at ease.

The two exchanged a glance, and Karuizawa loosened her grip on the hem of her tracksuit before following Sato toward the lounge.

Shimizu Akira took a half step back, and you could see that her shoulders were still tense, as if she was carrying a pebble that hadn't fallen to the ground.

As soon as the door to the lounge closed, Sato pulled a can of sports drink from the cabinet and slammed it on the table.

He pulled the tab and took a swig of his drink; the sound of his Adam's apple bobbing was particularly clear in the quiet room.

"Karuizawa, you took so many days off last week. Originally, I was planning to fire you today."

Karuizawa Kei suddenly raised her head, her eyes slightly glazed over, but when she heard the word "originally," a faint sense of anticipation inexplicably rose in her heart.

“But you came to apologize to me on Saturday, crying your eyes out—it’s clear you really realized you were wrong.” Sato’s tone softened as he changed the subject. “You also came to work overtime on Sunday to help out, and you came early today. So, I’ll pretend this never happened, and let it not happen again.”

He paused, his tone becoming more sincere: "To be honest, joining a sports club is indeed tough, with much more work to do than other clubs. I can only offer freshmen a small amount of points as a subsidy, but there's one thing we can guarantee—we will definitely protect you. If we can't even protect our own club manager, we might as well disband the boxing club and drop out of school together. I can't bear the shame of that."

"Hmm... That's good, thank you, Minister." Karuizawa Megumi nodded vigorously, her voice trembling slightly as she relaxed, her eyes quietly reddening.

The weight that had been hanging over my heart for so long finally lifted.

In this way, she successfully stayed in the boxing club.

I hope Shimizu Akira will continue to protect her, just as promised.

"Karuizawa, you should go back first. I have some personal matters to discuss with Shimizu," Sato said after a few seconds of silence.

"Okay... I'll be going now." She replied, her steps lighter as she turned around, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

"Did you do this?" Department Head Sato asked suddenly, watching her departing figure.

Akira Shimizu looked up to meet the minister's gaze and shook his head. "I didn't do anything. I just watched an anime and made a few comments."

He never actively interfered with Karuizawa Megumi's decision; whether she stayed in the boxing club or defended herself, it was her own choice.

“…Anime series?” Sato frowned, clearly not keeping up with the abrupt change of topic. “I don’t understand what you’re talking about. You brat, why do you always beat around the bush like a man!”

He changed the subject, his tone becoming more serious, "By the way, the reason I asked you to stay is to ask you something—the president told me that you were the one who gave him the idea for that 'exam paper'?"

“It’s me.” Shimizu Akira nodded.

Speaking of which, during the break between the second and third periods in the afternoon, the student council president sent him a message saying that Sato—who is also the class president—had specifically asked about this matter.

After all, Minister Sato had always taken good care of him, so there was nothing to hide. He told the chairman that he could tell him the truth.

“I owe you another favor this time! I knew this idea didn’t seem like something the president would come up with—after all, I’ve disliked Nagumo Masaru for a long time.” Sato patted his shoulder and laughed heartily, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone else a word about this.”

"By the way, senpai," Shimizu Akira suddenly asked curiously, "did the 'exam paper' matter really go so smoothly?"

“Of course.” Sato said with certainty, “The other classes have long disliked Nagumo Masaru and have always respected the student council president, so why wouldn’t they cooperate? Besides, they have already lost the right to compete with Class A.”

"What do you mean?"

"Literal meaning. Just looking at class points, as early as the second half of the first grade, Class A had already pulled far ahead of Class D and Class C; by the second grade, after several special exams, even Class B had fallen far behind."

How big is the gap?

"You'll know once you see it."

Sato opened his phone and took a screenshot, which he handed over. Shimizu Akira glanced at it and was instantly stunned.

This gap is much larger than the current points of each class in the first grade, so large that even he can't help but feel a headache coming on.

"Wait, with such a big gap, won't there be a special exam later on..." He was interrupted by Sato before he could finish speaking.

"The points gained from special exams are limited. Besides, have you forgotten that Horikita in our class is the student council president? The student council president has certain authority in some special exams."

Akira Shimizu was speechless.

It turned out to be the case.

Since their own class was already in Class A, and they also had the power to intervene in special exams as the student council president, it seemed perfectly reasonable for other classes to give up the idea of ​​advancing to Class A.

But another possibility was still swirling in Shimizu Akira's mind—if Nagumo Masa abandoned the collective cooperation and instead tried to buy the exam papers from individuals, would she still have a chance to buy them?

"Shimizu, you seem to underestimate the student council president and the upperclassmen too much." Sato glanced at him, guessing what the other was thinking. "I can tell you definitively that no matter what Nangumo Masaru tries, he won't be able to easily buy exam papers from the third-year students—unless, of course, he uses those underhanded and despicable methods. But if he really dares to do that, he won't be worthy of being the student council president's rival anymore."

Chapter 165: 162 Nan ​​Yunya: I lost miserably.

“I’m sorry, Vice President Nagumo.” The class representative of Class 3-B shook his head, his tone resolute. “I cannot agree to your request. Class points are public; you should know how big the gap is between us and Class 3-A. You want me to hand over my test papers and help you with the special exam? In exchange for the entire second grade helping our class against Class 3-A? I won’t do that. There haven’t been many cross-grade special exams this year. So, I’m sorry, I cannot agree.”

Nan Yunya could only watch helplessly as the other party refused, her fists clenching involuntarily.

(Rejected again!)

(This is the third one already!)

He took a deep breath, recalling yesterday—when he met with the leaders of Class D and Class C in the third grade, the replies he received were almost identical. They were nothing more than "feeling they couldn't compare to Class A in the third grade," even the wording carried a similar sense of helplessness.

To make matters worse, just now, the homeroom teacher sent a message stating explicitly that the school would not interfere with the "exam paper" issue.

(President... Is this what you look like when you're serious?)

Now that things have come to this, he finally feels the pressure.

It seems impossible to buy the test papers from all the third-grade classes as a whole.

He couldn't help but regret it—why had he been so adamant in stopping other classes from buying the test papers? If he had loosened his grip then, perhaps the situation wouldn't be so deadlocked now.

But then he reconsidered and convinced himself that this decision was inevitable for him.

After all, his personality had already dictated his choices.

(...President, oh President, was all of this part of your plan?)

Nan Yunya's feelings were somewhat complicated, a mixture of suppressed resentment and a secret excitement—the genius he considered a formidable rival had finally made his move.

Moreover, the action was so decisive and direct, without any hesitation or delay.

A strange sense of joy welled up inside me.

(Does this mean that the president has actually been keeping an eye on me all along?)

After all, how could they have come up with such a precise method to target him if they hadn't paid attention to him?

But he underestimated himself—he still held onto his last trump card.

“What if I said I was going to use eight million personal points to buy the third-year exam papers from you?” Nan Yunya suddenly spoke, her tone sharp and desperate. “As the class monitor of Class B in the third year, you must have accumulated quite a few personal points over the past three years, including class allowances, right? I’ll give you eight million, enough for you to transfer directly to Class A. In that case, you should be willing to sell the exam papers to me, right?”

The expression on the face of the class monitor of Class B, Grade 3, finally softened.

Eight million personal points—enough to ensure any ordinary student has no worries about food and clothing before graduation, and could even make up for the point difference required to transfer to Class A. It was a number he had never dared to dream of in the past three years.

Nan Yunya keenly noticed the surprise in the other person's eyes, and a subtle smile appeared on her lips: "Senior, you should know that this is a sure-fire deal. A few used exam papers are worth exchanging for a chance to directly enter Class A."

The class monitor's Adam's apple bobbed, and his gaze drifted towards the end of the corridor, as if he were weighing something.

“Vice President Nan Yun,” he suddenly spoke, his voice a few decibels deeper than before, “I regret to inform you that I still cannot agree to your request.”

"what?!"

“I don’t have that many points at all. Twelve million… You’re giving me far too much credit.”

“Even so,” Nan Yunya pressed on, “eight million points is a considerable sum for any student, isn’t it?”

“It’s not worth it.” The class monitor shook his head, his tone carrying a kind of clarity that comes with the approach of graduation. “We’re about to graduate from our third year, and points are meaningless to us now. Besides, the president has already promised everyone in the third year that as long as we agree to keep the exam papers secret, we’ll be provided with the corresponding resources after graduation. You know, the people in Class A are guaranteed to get into top universities after graduation. I’m not going to offend the entire Class A for such a small benefit. If I did, I wouldn’t be able to survive in society.”

Nan Yunya's face darkened completely. He really hadn't expected that this class monitor of Class B, who was usually not very noticeable in the third year, could weigh the pros and cons so clearly.

"Resources?" He raised an eyebrow and asked rhetorically, "You actually believe the promises the president makes? By the time you graduate, he might have already forgotten about today's commitments."

The class monitor raised an eyebrow as if she had heard the biggest joke in the world: "Are you questioning the president's character? Nan Yunya, you should think about how ridiculous that is!"

Nan Yunya froze on the spot.

He knew better than anyone how upright and honest his student council president was—serving as president for three consecutive years without ever accepting a single extra point, which was the most irrefutable evidence.

The president's words are always weighty and have never failed him.

“Nan Yun, you’re still young, and perhaps you don’t yet understand the weight of character and promises.” The class monitor’s tone softened, and he sighed softly. “Some promises are far more valuable than gold. Especially for those of us who are about to graduate.”

His tone became more serious: "Moreover, this was agreed upon by the entire class. As the class monitor, I absolutely cannot betray everyone easily—this is also a matter of character. Whether it's Class A or Class B, we won't never see each other again after graduation. Connections and character are the most fundamental things for navigating society. We can't stay in school forever; sooner or later we'll have to go out and make our way in the world. Having connections makes it easier to succeed in whatever we do."

He glanced at his watch, said nothing more, and turned to walk towards the stairwell: "Excuse me."

Nan Yunya stood there, stunned, when a thought suddenly flashed through his mind—should he try his luck in other classes? But as soon as the idea popped up, he completely dismissed it.

(Even the class monitor of Class 3B couldn't come up with 12 million personal points, let alone the students in other classes.)

(Unless I'm stupid enough to just spend 20 million points to buy exam papers from someone. But doing so is less efficient than agreeing to the guild leader's request—after all, they only need 10 million points over there.)

(Besides, the president really did make that promise to them.)

He had another terrible idea: should he send some people to a place without surveillance cameras—like the special teaching building, where there are no cameras—to grab a third-year student and force them to hand over their exam paper?

But as soon as the thought formed in his mind, he extinguished it.

He couldn't imagine how the chairman would view him if he actually did that.

Just imagining the image of the president, his rival, looking at him with that contemptuous and disdainful gaze made him so agitated that his whole body tensed up, and his fingertips almost dug into his palms.

This feeling was several times worse than when Asahina Nazuna rejected his date.

"It seems I've lost this contest with the president utterly." He muttered to himself, but suddenly realized that there was no disappointment in his tone as he had expected.

Instead, a strange excitement welled up inside me.

Is it because the president is finally willing to give it his all and seriously compete with himself?

Or perhaps, this is the true mark of a genius, and one can't help but admire it from the bottom of one's heart?

But deep down, another, more important question was still lingering in his mind.

He himself knew the chairman much better than that woman named Tachibana Akane—this move was clearly not the chairman's style.

Was this tactic a desperate measure taken by him, or is there someone else behind the chairman?

Does this school have any other "geniuses"?

Chapter 166: 163 There's only one truth, Shimizu Akira, you are the culprit (4k)

As soon as Shimizu Akira returned to his dormitory, he suddenly received a notification.

It was sent by Horikita Manabu.

Horikita Manabu: Nagumo Masaru conceded defeat and directly gave me ten million personal points.

Horikita Manabu: He also specifically asked me for a copy of the second-year high school midterm exam paper, and ordered a copy of the third-year high school midterm exam paper.

Just as Sato-senpai said.