He tried to save the fallen girls, but they came after him instead.

Page 144

"Is that so? That is indeed a good suggestion." It sounded nice, but Fukada didn't think much of Maki at all.

Yayoi mentioned it when she was chatting with Fukada.

Long black hair, a cool and aloof demeanor, black knee-high stockings, and a very serious personality—she's the complete opposite of me in every way.

Unfortunately, after falling in love with Shirakawa, her unique aloofness gradually faded away. Changing herself for the sake of so-called "love" was really foolish.

"Oh, actually I'd like to do more work, but unfortunately I'm rather slow-witted and just started this job. I'm completely clueless about how to coordinate and arrange things. I'd appreciate any guidance from you, senior." Shirakawa also began to decline.

The situation unfolded exactly as Fukada had anticipated.

Then the only option is to activate the backup hidden energy source.

Many of the students in this room are pursuing her. She should mobilize them, create a pitiful persona for herself, and then find a way to push the job onto Shirakawa.

"Actually, Shirakawa-kun, someone in my family has been sick recently, so it's been a bit inconvenient." Fukada glanced at the members around him, his eyes filled with expectation.

Those members who secretly admired her were as if they had been activated, and they echoed her sentiments one after another.

"enough!"

Xing Gongxi slammed her hand on the table and shouted angrily.

116. Threat from the Star Palace

Hoshimiya Shiori shouted this.

This startled Fukada so much that he shuddered.

It's rare to see Hoshiguchi Shio so angry.

The last time I lost my temper was against those student union members who secretly misappropriated student union funds and engaged in dishonest practices.

“This vice president has just been appointed and is not yet capable of performing the duties. You will continue to handle all the work,” Hoshimiya Shio said, clearly displeased. “Tone it down when you’re dealing with a newcomer, Fukada.”

Hoshimiya Shio knew perfectly well what kind of person Fukada was.

The reason for still appointing her is simple: she is very efficient at her job.

Regardless of whether she seduces other boys to do work or uses other means, as long as she handles the situation well and does not damage the reputation or interests of the student union, she can still remain the vice president.

However, her actions are also a ticking time bomb, and Hoshiguchi Shio is prepared to sever ties with her at any time.

Fukada was also puzzled, as he had been targeting Shirakawa all this time.

I don't know where I offended the president, but I had no choice but to obediently agree because of his authority.

"The specific implementation of the work will be handled entirely by Vice President Fukada. The meeting is now adjourned and dissolved."

Fukada and other student council members "fled".

Just as Shirakawa was about to get up, Hoshimiya Rin forcefully pressed him back into his seat.

"You stay."

“Shirakawa…” Maki was worried about leaving Shirakawa here.

But Hoshimiya Rin glared at her fiercely, as if she was about to rush over and drag her away at any moment.

Maki had no choice but to leave.

The huge conference room was now empty except for Shirakawa, Hoshimiya Shio, and Rin.

"Kneel down!" Xing Gongxi commanded.

"Huh? A man's knees are worth gold, how can you just kneel down like that?"

Swish!

A glint of cold light appeared first, and just like before, another small hole appeared in Shirakawa's clothes.

"I'll kneel, I'll kneel."

Shirakawa knelt obediently on the ground.

A true man can bend and stretch, but kneeling down was not a grand gesture.

Besides, why bother arguing with someone who has a serious illness?

"Where is the pocket watch?" Hoshiguchi asked arrogantly as she sat in her chair.

"What pocket watch? I don't know." Shirakawa pretended to be clueless.

Hoshimiya Shio winked at Hoshimiya Rin, who nodded, squatted down, and pulled Shirakawa's right hand to the ground.

With a slight flick of his wrist, a delicate, slender silver dagger slipped from his sleeve, aimed directly at the back of Shirakawa's hand.

"I'm asking you, where is that hypnotic pocket watch?" Hoshiguchi Shio interrogated him again.

"Didn't you take it?"

Ding dong!

The dagger plunged down and landed next to Shirakawa's fingers; he could feel the chill emanating from the blade.

"I'll ask you one more time, where is that pocket watch that can hypnotize people?!" Hoshiguchi Shio began to get angry. "If you don't tell me, your index finger is in danger."

Rin Hoshimiya raised the dagger again, aiming it at Shirakawa's fingers.

Shirakawa was also startled by this sudden situation and broke out in a cold sweat.

"That pocket watch you took from my house, it really is..."

Swish!

Before Shirakawa could finish explaining, Hoshimiya Rin plunged in again.

Shirakawa closed his eyes, thinking his fingers were doomed, but after waiting for a long time, he tightened his grip slightly and felt nothing unusual.

When I opened my eyes again, Hoshimiya Rin's dagger was still in the same spot as before, without any deviation, even the scratches on the floor matched.

Before Hoshimiya Shio could ask again, Shirakawa quickly explained, "President, that hypnotic pocket watch is a magical item. Such items have a limited number of uses. You probably used up all your uses when you hypnotized me." Shirakawa gave a fabricated reply.

But logically speaking, it makes sense.

Xing Gongxi also noticed something amiss: "Didn't I hypnotize you and tell you to forget me? How come you remember me so clearly now?"

“That thing has an expiration date; you can’t hypnotize someone for a lifetime.” Shirakawa continued to make up stories.

Hoshiguchi Shio pondered. What he said did make some sense and aligned with the common knowledge about magical items in some games and comics.

Hoshimiya Shio made Hoshimiya Rin withdraw, then stood up and slowly walked to Shirakawa.

“I’m giving you a chance. If you can really hypnotize someone with this pocket watch, I can bestow upon you money, fame, and power—whatever you desire. At the very least, within the Star Palace Consortium, I can guarantee you will be second only to one person and above ten thousand others.” Star Palace Xi half-squatted down and pinched Bai Chuan’s chin.

“I’d like to use it too, but this pocket watch really has no power left,” Shirakawa said sincerely.

If hard tactics don't work, you'll try soft ones, right?

"You're useless," Hoshiguchi said, her eyes filled with deep disappointment. She flung her hand away, stood up, and turned her back to me. "Don't ever appear in front of me again."

"Aren't I the vice president?" Shirakawa retorted. "You're not allowed to come to meetings anymore..."

"I don't want to see you right now!" Hoshimiya Shio was enraged by Shirakawa's glib tongue. "Get out!"

Upon seeing this, Shirakawa quickly slipped away.

If you really push her too far, she'll really be in deep trouble.

After he left, Hoshimiya Rin, who was usually silent, spoke up, which was unusual for her.

“Master, aren’t you being a bit too indecisive? You even told me beforehand not to hurt Shirakawa. Actually, I think if we’re going to force him to reveal the whereabouts of that thing, torture would be a better option.”

"No need for further explanation, just do as I say." Xing Gongxi looked out the window, lost in thought.

Seeing this, Hoshimiya Rin also kept quiet.

Even during her orphanage, she heard all sorts of rumors about Hoshimiya Shio.

At that time, the head of the family was still Hoshimiya Rie. According to her teachers and butlers, Hoshimiya Shio was a proud and ruthless genius girl who was completely different from other children her age.

However, through her observation, she found that Hoshiguchi was not as unapproachable as she had imagined, and that she possessed normal human emotions.

It's not what I imagined, but that's okay, at least he's a normal person.

Clearly, Rin Hoshimiya's standard of normalcy is different from that of most people...

Shirakawa also escaped at this time, and Maki and Fukada were waiting at the door.

"Shirakawa-kun, you're finally out. I was so worried. I hope the student council president didn't do anything to you..." Fukada said with concern.

Maki also came over and asked with concern, "Shirakawa, are you alright?"

The two women displayed different levels of concern in their conversations, with Fukada clearly having the upper hand.

But Shirakawa was utterly disgusted by Fukada's affected manner.

Do we even know each other? Why are you so concerned about me?

Compared to her feigned sincerity, Maki's genuine feelings are far more genuine.

"Thank you for your concern, I'm fine."