Chapter 5: Abundant Scarcity【P2】

Sayoko

The water sloshes inside her bottle with every step up. Rhythmic splashes strike the glass, begging for release until the liquid settles flat at the last flight of stairs.

Kirishima unlocks the combination padlock blindly, throwing the door open to a cluttered roof terrace.

Hardly a place for visitors, not with all these crates lying around like mines. What does a bar have to store so much of anyway?

She breaks my train of thought, drawing my attention to the edge of the terrace by tapping her bottle against the railing.

“Coming?” She side-eyes me before facing the open distance.

The evening wind whips past us, forcing our hair into a wild dance.

I let out a low huff, but the wind swallows it. “Separation disorder, already?” Click.

I step beside her and turn until our backs meet. The fabric of my umbrella takes the brunt of the wind, vibrating down the handle.

“Tell me.” Kirishima’s voice carries over the wind. “Why stand here? Why not celebrate your arrival in your dormitory with friends?”

“Exponential growth. I must take the initiative. Conventional methods only guarantee a spot next to the rest.”

She scoffs. “Ambitious.”

“Realistic.”

“Growing to what?”

“Help me out, and discover.”

She looks upward, her voice trailing into the sky. “This school… It carries both the solution and the problem.”

“A perfect position. Free to choose whichever benefits you the most at the moment.”

“Pffft—you think they’d just let you do that?”

She removes the cap, taking a quick sip from the bottle. “This school’s structure saves the nation a conservative one hundred billion yen per year. That freed capital allows innovation no other high school could dream of. So, no problems, right?”

I remain silent, parsing her words for hints.

“But a power like that requires a hand to direct it.” She pauses, waiting for a sharp gust to pass. “Use it for others, and you elevate people who could never escape on their own. Use it for yourself, and you hold the shovel to bury them deeper.”

“Tell me. Who. Holds it.”

“Dismissing the student president was an oversight. He acts as the vital bridge between the school administration and the student body.”

“That boy is a husk. He will be disposed of by whoever put him there the moment his meager utility drains. I see no reason to include him in the equation.”

“He is far from the ultimate authority in the city. But if you expect to achieve anything without his cooperation, you will swim against the stream.”

“I am looking for an edge that outlasts the rumors of the week. Not someone who can be dissolved at the whim of the crowd.”

“Seconds, actually.” She tilts her bottle toward me. “Unlike weekly voting cycles, a presidential impeachment can be triggered at any moment of the day, all year round. You don’t seem fond of Hasumi, yet he operates under an incredible amount of pressure.”

“Yes. A tragic hero. Who is it that I am actually looking for?”

“The people.”

My gaze drifts skyward. “Please.”

“The one who holds the power is the one who can live outside the election cycles while still organizing the masses. There is a reason why, for example, the theater club remains one of the greatest voting blocs here. Connections.”

“And if one does not want to rely on what the crowd thinks?”

“The Culinary branch. The Bankers Club. Certain ministries. Factions that everyone relies on no matter what.”

“Wire whisks. Terrifying.”

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Discover what happens next in: Chapter 5: Abundant Scarcity【P3】

Written by Limited_Infinity. Extras, official publishing platforms and updates are publicly available only on the Patreon page “_Limited_Infinity_”

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