At this moment, sitting across from Nagumo, there was no change in expression on Subaru's face.
Nagumo's terminal rang. The caller was none other than Kushida.
"Wait a moment."
Nagumo picked up the terminal with a playful look. After confirming the caller's identity, he pressed the answer button and switched on the speakerphone.
"Nagumo-senpai!"
Kushida's somewhat anxious voice came from the other side of the terminal.
"What's wrong, Kushida-kouhai?"
Nagumo deliberately raised his volume, ensuring that Subaru, sitting in front of him, could hear.
However, Subaru's face remained expressionless from start to finish, as if he had already experienced everything happening before him.
"Nagumo-senpai, are you free today? I want to see you."
"Sorry, I'm currently entertaining a very important guest. If it's something important, just say it clearly over the phone."
"Is that so..."
"If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up."
"Wait a minute!"
Kushida's voice rang out again.
"I want to discuss something with you, Senpai."
"Oh? Let's hear it."
"Senpai, I want to carry out further revenge against Natsuki-kun."
Kushida's tone was hurried; it seemed the emotions in her heart were becoming difficult to suppress.
Nagumo appeared to enjoy her emotional state very much and did not answer immediately.
This silence seemed to make Kushida impatient, but she still controlled her tone, saying with a smile to Nagumo:
"Although you provided me with that privacy account earlier, Senpai, those kinds of rumors are just—"
"Sorry, I don't know what you're talking about."
In that instant, the smile on Nagumo's face vanished almost completely, replaced by an incredibly serious expression, seemingly displeased.
But at the same time, Nagumo was observing Subaru's reaction.
"What so-called privacy account? I've never heard of it. Did you mistake something that happened between you and some other senior for me? I am completely unaware of this."
"Oh..."
Kushida quickly understood Nagumo's meaning.
From the beginning, Nagumo would not admit that these matters were related to him. The person who provided the account to her back then was indeed someone else.
"Understood. I'm sorry, I made a mistake."
"That's more like it."
"Then, may I ask, Senpai... regarding the boy named Natsuki Subaru in our class..."
"I will come to find you personally about this matter later. I still have some things to handle."
After saying these words, Nagumo hung up the phone directly, then smiled and looked at Subaru.
"Natsuki-kouhai, what made you think of coming to the Student Council today? Were you looking for me?"
Nagumo asked, smiling as he watched Subaru.
He had deliberately let Subaru hear his conversation with Kushida, wanting the other party to know that the events caused by Kushida were somewhat related to him.
As long as he provided a little help, their class could be plunged into chaos.
However, Nagumo did not fully admit his connection to these events, leaving himself some wiggle room.
Even if Subaru was carrying some recording device, it would have no effect on him.
He wanted to create this feeling of detachment and ambiguity for Subaru.
"So, have you thought it through? Do you want to join the Student Council?"
Nagumo wore a smile on his face, his gaze focused on Subaru.
He initially thought Subaru had come because of class matters, attempting to reconcile with him.
But from beginning to end, there was no change in expression on Subaru's face.
It was as if he was indifferent to everything.
"As long as you are willing to join the Student Council, I can let bygones be bygones regarding your past behavior."
Nagumo narrowed his eyes slightly.
He could determine that Subaru was a very capable person, and like himself, someone who could expel trash without any scruples.
Undoubtedly, Subaru was the most suitable successor for him.
Although Nagumo was currently only the Vice President of the Student Council, he believed he needed to plant his own people among the first-years.
After all, Manabu Horikita would be graduating soon, and by then, he would cover the sky with one hand.
"I am completely uninterested in that."
Subaru, however, shook his head directly in denial.
"Ha?"
Nagumo scoffed at Subaru's answer, but a meaningful smile soon appeared on his face.
"Since you're not interested in that, then why did you come to find me? Is it to plead for mercy? After all, I heard that a very serious crisis has occurred within your class, and there seem to be many comments directed against you, Kouhai. Although I don't know the specifics, it sounds like it should be related to that Kushida-kouhai just now, right?"
Nagumo paused deliberately.
"As long as you are willing to follow my footsteps, Natsuki-kouhai, I would certainly be very willing to help you resolve the class's difficulties."
The smile on Nagumo's face deepened, as if he could already manipulate the other party at will.
However, the only response he received was Subaru's incredibly cold expression.
"The class's difficulties? What does that have to do with me?"
"Oh?"
"Whether the class falls or rises has nothing to do with me."
"You clearly put in effort during this exam, didn't you?"
The smile on Nagumo's face vanished instantly. He frowned as he looked at Subaru.
He initially thought Subaru was bluffing.
But judging from his expression, it seemed that wasn't the case.
Subaru really didn't seem to care about these things.
"That was just incidental."
"Treating the class promotion as incidental? You really are arrogant, Subaru."
"It's not arrogance, but anger, isn't it?"
"Anger?"
"Because everyone around has no color, so only anger remains."
There was still no expression on Subaru's face.
"What on earth are you talking about?"
"I'm not clear either. Just treat it as me talking nonsense."
"What exactly do you want to do here? You couldn't have come to find me for a heart-to-heart just because you were bored, right?"
"That could indeed count as a reason."
Subaru spoke slowly.
"However, I also have another reason."
"Let's hear it?"
"I want you to continue aiding Kushida."
"Ha?"
"No matter what method is used. The technique of mere rumors is not enough. To make Kushida's color more distinct, stronger hatred is required."
Subaru narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Nagumo, you are one of Kushida's fuels."
The smile on Nagumo's face froze completely.
He opened his mouth slightly, as if he hadn't heard clearly, or as if he had heard some absurd joke.
A few seconds later, that frozen smile slowly twisted, turning into a bizarre expression mixed with astonishment, offense, and intense displeasure.
"Ha... Haha..."
He gave two dry laughs, but there was no mirth in his voice, only icy sharpness.
"Natsuki-kouhai, what did you just say? I didn't hear you wrong, did I? You ran to the Student Council not to join me, nor to beg me to raise my hand in mercy... but instead to 'order' me to continue adding fuel to the fire for that little toy in your class—Kikyo Kushida? Just for your inexplicable... 'color' theory?"
His body leaned forward slightly, hands pressing on the table. The originally cynical and relaxed posture vanished, replaced by the oppressive aura of a superior.
"Fuel? You say I am Kushida's 'fuel'?"
Nagumo's voice lowered, every word seeming to be squeezed out from between his teeth.
"Subaru, aren't you... taking yourself too seriously? And taking me, Miyabi Nagumo, too lightly?"
He stared dead at Subaru's waveless eyes, trying to find even a shred of provocation, arrogance, or calculation within them.
But all he saw was a bottomless indifference, as if his own anger just now, and all the emotions he projected toward the other party, were just irrelevant background noise.
This feeling of being thoroughly ignored, even evaluated as a "tool," was like a poison thorn stabbing ruthlessly into Nagumo's proud heart.
He was used to being in control, used to others being in awe of him, fawning over him, or plotting against him—but at least regarding him as an opponent or superior.
But what about Subaru?
That look was simply like looking at a piece of... lab equipment with unclear functions.
"You think you've seen through everything? Think you can manipulate everyone, including me?"
Nagumo's voice carried suppressed fury.
"Make me stimulate Kushida so she explodes with even stronger hatred for you to observe? Subaru, what do you take me for? An assistant in your laboratory? Or a chess piece on your board to be moved at your whim?"
The more he spoke, the angrier he became, even feeling a sense of absurdity.
It had always been him using others, observing others, viewing others as stepping stones to achieve his goals or as interesting toys.
Today, the roles had completely reversed.
"Why should I listen to you?"
Nagumo sneered.
"Just because of your nonsense about 'color'? Or do you feel that because you showed some special means, you are qualified to dictate to me? Don't forget, I am now the Student Council Vice President. Soon, the entire Student Council—even the student body of this school—might be under my control! And you are just a first-year, a problem student who can't even handle internal class issues and needs to rely on accidents to win!"
He was using status and power to apply pressure, attempting to regain the initiative.
However, Subaru just listened calmly until he finished, and then, very slightly tilted his head, as if thinking about a simple question.
"You are angry."
He stated, his tone as plain as if commenting that the weather today was nice.
"Bullshit!"
Nagumo almost slammed the table, but he forcibly held back, his face just becoming even more gloomy.
"Is it because your intention to utilize Kushida was seen through, or because..."
Subaru's gaze swept over Nagumo's face, as if scanning him.
"Simply because you think you were looked down upon?"
Nagumo's breath hitched slightly. A trace of humiliation from being completely figured out flashed in the depths of his eyes, but it was immediately covered by a deeper gloom.
He suddenly smiled, a smile cold and dangerous.
"Interesting... truly interesting."
He slowly sat back in his chair, fingers tapping lightly on the desktop.
"Subaru, you are even more arrogant than I imagined, and even more... reckless. Do you think provoking me, saying these words to me, will have any consequences?"
"Consequences?"
Subaru seemed to think for a moment.
"Perhaps, you will act more diligently, trying to prove that you are not merely 'fuel', and even... might eliminate Kushida?"
In his eyes, there was finally a trace of extremely weak, nearly void fluctuation, like he was assessing some possibility.
"...Perhaps that would be a bit more interesting."
"Shut up!"
Nagumo finally shouted in a low voice. Although the volume wasn't high, it was filled with icy rage.
He hated this feeling of being assessed, of being expected to perform, especially when the other party was a first-year like Subaru.
"Don't be self-righteous, Subaru. If I want to eliminate you, I only need a single finger."
As Nagumo spoke, he triumphantly wagged his finger.
"Is that so?"
And at just this moment, Subaru leaned his body forward and grabbed Nagumo's finger.
"What are you doing?"
"If, you didn't have fingers?"
"You— AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Before that heart-rending scream rang out, the sound of bones being twisted and broken appeared first.
Subaru mercilessly snapped Nagumo's index finger.
"You, you, you dare?!"
The pain made Nagumo instantly drenched in cold sweat. He used all his strength trying to pull his hand out of Subaru's grip.
But the other party's strength exceeded his imagination.
Nagumo completely did not expect that he would actually dare to do such a thing inside the Student Council office.
"Are you crazy, you bastard? Do you want to be expelled?! This is the Student Council! Do you think— AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Next was the middle finger.
Subaru directly snapped his other finger as well.
Nagumo had completely broken down. His other hand formed a fist, smashing directly toward Subaru's head.
However, Subaru seemed to predict the other party's movement, tilting his body slightly, dodging the attack perfectly.
The ring finger.
The ten fingers are linked to the heart. That intense pain caused Nagumo's body to spasm. Coupled with the loss of balance from the missed attack just now, his entire person lay on the table in a bizarre posture.
But Subaru did not give him time to catch his breath.
The little finger.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! What exactly do you want to do?!!!"
"What do I want to do? I said it at the very beginning."
On Subaru's face, there still remained no trace of expression.
He was torturing Nagumo not for revenge, but merely because the other party had refused his proposal. That was all.
Like a King punishing a disobedient slave.
____
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