Chapter 14

Today's second update

"Let's become friends first, shall we?"

Mutou Saori, having resolved to close the distance with Keita, judged that the person she needed for this was Iijima Shoko, who had entered as the fourth-ranked student.

There were several reasons why Saori chose her.

First, the faction her family belonged to was the Sixth Division faction.

Since the Sixth Division, which was responsible for the Kinki region, and the Third Division faction, which had the role of supporting the Kanto and Kinki regions in emergencies, did not have a particularly bad relationship—though it wasn't particularly good either—Saori judged that the likelihood of their families becoming enemies was low.

Second, her personality. While she was aware of her own excellence, she wasn't the type to be arrogant about it. Rather, she was the type who never slacked off in her efforts to aim higher.

Of course, with three students who were more academically excellent than her at the time of enrollment, it would have been impossible for her to get carried away. However, there are people in the world who, despite wearing wooden clogs for a long time, only managed to enter at the ninth rank but somehow deluded themselves into thinking they were the most excellent.

In comparison, wouldn't it be natural to want to get along with a girl who saw her as a rival and continued to work hard?

Saori, who had been trained as a young lady of a martial family and was accustomed to being charming to outsiders, would, if possible, choose who to interact with. In particular, she didn't want to deal with people who made her feel mentally exhausted just by interacting with them.

Finally, her attitude towards Keita.

While everyone, including Saori, was unsure about how to approach the foreign element that was Kawaue Keita, she alone had confronted him straightforwardly. While it might have looked like she was picking a fight, given that Keita had accepted it gently, it could be inferred that they had a relatively good relationship.

"Saying 'Let's become friends' right away would just make her suspicious, wouldn't it?"

While it wasn't a lie that she had originally been interested, from Keita's perspective, she would only appear as someone who suddenly got close after his promotion.

(Actually, there is that aspect, but that evaluation is a bit, well, you know.)

Saori, a young lady from a martial family, had a high sense of pride. While her personality allowed her to endure some discomfort, she wasn't mature enough to tolerate being seen as shallow by a peer of the opposite sex.

Of course, Iijima wasn't stupid. If Saori, who had had no particular contact with her until now, suddenly approached her, she would try to figure out her intentions and would likely realize that Saori was seeking contact with Keita.

"Actually, I'd be in trouble if she didn't notice."

If Iijima could read Saori's intentions, how would she act? Would she create a favor with the Muto family, a prominent family of the Third Division faction, or would she try to cover it up?

Under normal circumstances, she would choose the former. After all, Saori and Keita were classmates.

Of course, it might be a bit awkward at first.

But if they were in the same class for three years, it wouldn't be that difficult to become close.

If that were the case, from Iijima's perspective, the result would be the same whether she intervened or not. If so, it would be more beneficial to intervene and create a favor with the Muto family. Under normal circumstances, that's how she would judge.

No matter how straightforward her personality, Iijima was representing the young members of her faction at this military academy. It was impossible for her to forget the interests of her faction.

"Well, perhaps the head of the Iijima family might instruct me to monopolize the information for a while, but we'll deal with that when it comes. Let's make contact first. There's no shortage of topics to talk about, after all."

From the outside, Saori might seem like a sheltered young lady who knew nothing of the world's troubles, given her background and appearance. In fact, her fellow faction members, Kasahara Tatsuhiko and Kobatakenosuke, treated her as such.

However, her inner nature was completely the opposite. Trained by her father, who had been the Chief of Staff, Saori's essence was that of a cold and calculating strategist who was aware of her appearance and was not averse to using herself as a pawn when necessary.

"Hehe. It's also fun not knowing how she'll move."

Saori smiled gracefully while her sharp mind worked to figure out how to become even closer to her "friend" Iijima Shoko and how to approach Keita once she succeeded.

---

While everyone around her was racking their brains about how to approach Keita, Iijima Shoko was in high spirits.

"Hmm. Hmm-hmm. Hmm."

She was so cheerful that she couldn't help but hum a tune.

"Shoko-sama, you're in great spirits, aren't you?"

"Do you notice? Do you notice?"

"Of course I do."

Sakazaki Emi, her childhood friend and confidante, who had been slightly behind in grades and was placed in Class B, was a bit taken aback by her high spirits (though she was better off than being in a bad mood, she was honestly a bit annoying).

It was only natural. After all, the person she had been paying attention to (in her mind, at least) had gone into combat and achieved military honors, advancing faster than anyone else, even the seniors.

Of course, it was frustrating that it wasn't her own achievement. However, Iijima Shoko was the type of person who could sincerely congratulate her friend on her promotion.

It wasn't just that. Until now, the other classmates had kept their distance from Keita, so they knew nothing about him despite being classmates.

But Shoko was different.

Because she was the only one in Class A who had closed the distance with Keita, she had successfully gathered information about Kawaue Keita, the secret weapon of the Second Division and the top heavy industry.

This was such a significant achievement that even her parents, who were usually strict with her, praised her with full smiles.

Now that Keita had achieved results, other classmates would likely try to close the distance to gather information about him. However, from Shoko's perspective, Keita, while not stupid, had some weaknesses.

Therefore, he would likely be cautious and not share information with those who approached him after his promotion. Of course, considering Keita's personality and the fact that they would be classmates for three years, he might eventually lower his guard and treat them as friends. In fact, as long as they didn't become enemies, they would likely become friends.

(But how long will it take for the others to get past Keita's guard? A month? Three months? Six months? Maybe even more than a year?)

Keita was cautious. Moreover, Shoko had informed him that everyone, including his classmates, belonged to military factions (of course, she had also told him that she was from the Sixth Division faction).

Therefore, Keita would have to be friends with everyone, knowing that all those who approached him were affiliated with military factions.

In the end, the others would have to overcome a very high hurdle to become friends with Keita.

But Shoko was different. She just needed to maintain the same distance as before. If she did, Keita would naturally compare those who approached him after his promotion with Shoko, who maintained the same attitude.

When comparing the two, which one would have higher favorability? There's no need to even ask.

(The more attention Keita gets, the more information others will want. But the more they approach him, the more cautious Keita will become. It's a vicious cycle. And I just need to offer help at the right time. Whether I help Keita or the people from other factions will depend on my father's instructions and their attitudes, I suppose?)

Since this involved negotiations with other factions, the general direction would be set by her father, the head of the family. However, he couldn't give detailed instructions for everything on the ground, so Shoko had some decision-making power.

Given that her use of this "limited decision-making power" had led to the successful monopoly of information about Keita, the Iijima family would likely not object to her decisions unless she did something extremely foolish.

"In other words, the one holding the initiative right now is me! Not the top-ranked Muto Saori, not the second-ranked Fujita Issei, not even the third-ranked Keita, but me, Iijima Shoko!"

(Oh wow. You're making such a weird face. If Keita saw that face, it would be a disaster. Please don't do that at school.)

While Shoko had a straightforward personality that Keita recognized, she also had a normal desire for advancement and recognition. Imagining the attitudes and expressions of the classmates who would soon approach her, she immersed herself in her own pleasure, making a face that made her confidante, Sakazaki Emi, recoil.

---

Incidentally, it seems that the head of the Iijima family was harboring a troubled feeling about the fact that his daughter, who had never shown any interest in men, had suddenly started interacting with a boy of her age and even reported their conversations with enthusiasm after entering the military academy. However, this was something Shoko was unaware of.

Not only the young lady but also Sara Shokushi seemed to be quite devious.

If not, their family would be taken over. It can't be helped.

However, when she interacted with Keita, it was said that she was 80% genuine and 20% strategic.