Unlimited Ambition

"How could that be... Can you please stop being so self-righteous?"

"Is that so?" I replied casually, looking at Haruhi who seemed to be saying one thing but meaning another.

"And about yesterday... I'm sorry!" Haruhi's sudden words startled me. I quickly reached out and pressed my hand to her forehead, then compared it to my own.

"...What's wrong? I don't have a fever."

"Idiot! Idiot idiot idiot idiot idiot idiot!!!" Haruhi's face flushed red, she shook off my hand, and stormed ahead.

I chuckled twice and then caught up with her, taking her hand. Again, Haruhi didn't reject me.

"It feels pretty good... So, have we made up?" I asked.

Chunri didn't say anything, kept her head down and continued walking, and then almost got hit by a car.

"You don't look well. Did you miss me so much that you couldn't sleep last night?" I asked.

"What a joke—" Harumoto blurted out instinctively, then fell silent.

In a sense, what I said is indeed the truth.

"And what about you? You look terrible too." Haruhi wanted to retaliate.

"I had a nightmare last night, it was so scary."

We walked and talked, completely ignoring the surprised looks from our classmates. We went straight to the classroom and continued chatting as if no one else was around. Everyone around us experienced what it meant to be sickeningly sweet and nauseatingly cozy. They were filled with envy, jealousy, and resentment.

During lunch break, I casually invited Haruhi to have lunch with me. She declined, but I didn't think much of it.

She's probably going to find three other people and rebuild the SOS Brigade.

"Eh... I didn't expect that you would still choose Haruhi Suzumiya in the end."

Around noon, the two extras came to my place, and that idiot from the valley entrance said this as his first words.

"What's wrong?" I said, slightly annoyed.

"No, it's just that this is really good news for us guys who are down on our luck. All the girls in the school can finally take a break. Speaking of which, you've only been in school for less than a semester, and you already have a fan club." Taniguchi said this while chewing the food in his mouth.

However, Kunikida then offered a different opinion: "No, your information is outdated. Kyon's support group was already established yesterday. And they brazenly applied to the student council—the most outrageous thing is that it was approved."

"..."

"How is that possible?!" ×2.

I stood up abruptly, splashing soup all over Gu Kou.

"Damn it! What are you doing?!" Taniguchi cursed.

"Shut up!!!" I yelled—attracting the attention of the entire class: "You too!!!" I roared at my classmates.

"What on earth happened?!"

After that, I grabbed Kunikida by the collar and yelled like that.

"Kyon, calm down," Kunikida said calmly.

“…I’m sorry,” I said after letting go of him.

We then sat back down. Kunikida told us everything he knew: "I overheard it by chance. Apparently, it's one of the school's sponsors. They promised to donate 100 million yen to our school. The condition is this—by the way, Kyon, you're not being kept by that rich woman, are you?"

"...Eight, Cloud, Purple!"

I slammed my hand on the table and stood up. I can't think of anyone else but this bastard who would do something so ridiculous.

"Who is Yakumo Yukari? Kyon?" At that moment, a very familiar voice suddenly came from behind me.

I turned around abruptly, almost knocking Haruhi over. Then she grabbed me and dragged me to the rooftop.

"What's going on with Kyon's harem fan club?!"

After closing and locking the door, Haruhi shouted this at me.

"You're asking me? Who should I ask?!" I yelled back, my voice no quieter than hers.

"What about Yukari Yakumo?" This time, Haruhi's voice was a little softer.

"..."

"Speak quickly!!!"

"It was the store manager at the place where I used to work."

Where do you work?

"A certain entertainment complex."

"An entertainment complex?"

"...It's the biggest entertainment street, the biggest paradise on earth."

"Ah, Hollow!!!!!!!!!!"

"It's not what you think at all! There's absolutely nothing between me and Yukari Yakumo! It's just a simple employee-employer relationship."

"Then why would she take out 100 million to do something so stupid?!"

"Springtime..."

"What's up?!"

"This is something you should be thinking about."

"..."

And so, this argument ended in my rare victory. The SOS Brigade's female tyrant has gained a new rival. How wonderful!

Of course, not everyone thought this happy ending was good. For example, the other members of the SOS Brigade. These past few days, they've been giving me reproachful looks. Especially Koizumi Itsuki; because of the increased pressure from Haruhi, the subspace he calls a "closed space" is appearing more and more frequently. Koizumi Itsuki is suffering terribly. His gaze towards me is incredibly resentful. It almost made me really stab him.

And so, before I knew it, the date of the school festival was approaching. On this day, I found another huge pile of love letters in the shoe locker…

Should I put up a sign saying I'm taken and not to be disturbed...? No, no, no, that's too hurtful. I should be a little more subtle... but how exactly should I write it? I'm such an honest person, I don't have much experience lying.

During the class meeting, I, like the other students, listlessly slumped over my desk, lost in thought. I completely ignored the class monitor, Ryoko Asakura, shouting herself hoarse from the podium. I was preoccupied with my own thoughts.

"Kyon, our chance has come." At that moment, Haruhi turned around and poked me, who was pretending to be dead, with a ballpoint pen and said this.

"What kind of opportunity?" I asked.

“Of course, it’s the chance to make a name for myself at the school festival,” Kasuga replied.

"...Whatever you want," I said, completely unmotivated.

"What are you doing? Cheer up, Kyon! You're the male lead I've already decided on!"

"What male lead? Is it a BL novel?"

"Are you gay, you bastard?!"

"No, I just can't be sure if you're a fujoshi (a female fan of male-male romance)."

While this series of tedious conversations continued, the class representative finally finalized the class's activities for the school festival. A questionnaire survey? Good heavens, are you guys really high school students?

"So, does anyone have any good suggestions for the executive committee members of this year's school festival?"

“Kyū-kun.”

“Kyū-kun.”

"It really must be Kyon-kun."

"Yes, that's what I think too."

"Yeah yeah."

"That's it."

"Very good, then Ah-Xu has passed unanimously. Let's all give him a round of applause."

"...Has anyone asked for my opinion?" I couldn't help but complain at the end.

The class meeting finally ended. Our class monitor walked back to her seat, exhausted, surrounded by several girls she usually got along with, offering words of comfort. She was probably really tired. By the way, why are you looking at me with that relieved smile?

"Kyū, would you like to stay for a while? I need to discuss something with you," Ryoko said to me.

"No problem," I nodded in agreement.

"You agreed way too quickly!" Haruhi said, somewhat disgruntled. "Remember to go to the clubroom after you're done!"

Chapter Fifteen: The Deal

As the sun set, I faced Ryoko Asakura. To lighten the mood, I quietly opened the window. The evening breeze ruffled Ryoko's long hair, making the atmosphere even better.

"So, where should we begin?" I asked.

"Let's start with your identity... Kyon, may I call you that? Or rather, would you be willing to tell me your 'real name'?"

"Whatever." I chuckled, then snapped my fingers, detaching the entire classroom from reality. It became an independent, completely enclosed subspace.

"But you should say your own name before asking someone else's name; that's basic etiquette, isn't it?"

"In that case, it is indeed my fault. I have been very rude." After saying this, Ryoko Asakura lifted the hem of her skirt and gave me a ladylike curtsy.

"My name is Ryoko Asakura. I'm a humanoid dialogue terminal created by the Information Integration Thought Entity. I'm slightly different from the Yuki-san that Kyon knows. My affiliation is slightly different..."

"Some what?"

"Somewhat radical—"

The next moment, Ryoko Asakura suddenly moved forward, a dagger appearing in her hand without her noticing. Her speed was like a gust of wind and as fast as lightning—in an instant, she cautiously stabbed straight at my chest.

—It's blocked.

With one hand, as if teasing a child, he directly used a single finger to stop the forward thrust of the blade.

"Impossible! I clearly—"

The assassin's arms, sent by the spirit entity, vanished without a trace the next moment, consumed by dim, pale underworld fire in an instant. Afterward, the assassin, losing her balance, collapsed, and I stepped on her head.

"It's been so long since I've played like this. I miss it." I chuckled, then stomped hard on Asakura Ryoko's head. Perhaps it was due to the different materials, but after applying several tons of force, her skull didn't crack; instead, it embedded itself deeply into the concrete floor.

"Oh... although her abilities are a little weak, her defense is still quite impressive." I was slightly surprised, then I grabbed her hair and lifted her up.

After being treated with a bit of violence, Ryoko Asakura showed neither fear nor resentment, still looking at me with that same cheerful smile as before. Just like before, when she was about to kill me.

His cheerfulness was irritating.