"President, this is just too much! You should have told me earlier if you figured it out! Now you've forced me to give such a serious performance..." Fujiwara Chika pouted, her cheeks puffed up like an indignant squirrel.
"And yet, despite that, didn't I just point it out? Who was the one stubbornly denying everything just a moment ago?" Natsukawa Kanade shot her a deadpan look, entirely unmoved by her theatrics.
"Guuu... No! I won't accept this! There's no way you figured us out that quickly! Our disguises were flawless! Even the props were real!" Fujiwara Chika huffed in frustration, moving closer and repeatedly poking Natsukawa's arm with a vengeance.
"President! Tell me honestly! How did you see through us so easily?!"
"If anything, the real problem here is that you didn't see it coming," Natsukawa retorted, exasperation dripping from his voice. He sighed and began explaining as if he were lecturing a clueless child.
"First of all, when I untied those so-called 'hostages,' I immediately noticed the ropes were loosely knotted—so loose that a simple tug was enough to free them. No actual kidnapper would tie someone up like that. If anything, a real criminal would be paranoid about their hostages escaping. And to top it off, their mouths weren't even gagged! You basically gave them a free pass to cry for help."
"..."
"Then, there's the timing of your grand entrance. If you'd been there from the beginning, it might've been more convincing. But no, you conveniently appeared the moment we showed up. That either means you were hiding and observing us or you planned everything down to the second. And let's be real, given your track record, it's obviously the latter."
"..."
"And the most glaring mistake? Instead of taking us hostage right away, you dramatically suggested playing a game first. What kind of criminal mastermind does that? Even middle schoolers wouldn't fall for such an obvious charade! Right, Kaguya?"
"A-Ah? Um... yes, that's right," Shinomiya Kaguya quickly nodded, snapping out of her daze.
She had been utterly convinced it was a real emergency until Fujiwara Chika took off her mask. If not for that, she might have started plotting an actual escape plan!
Unaware of Kaguya's momentary distress, Natsukawa Kanade continued breaking down the absurdity of the situation.
"But above all, the biggest flaw in this whole act was you, Fujiwara Chika."
"M-Me?!" Fujiwara pointed at herself, looking thoroughly betrayed.
"Yes. From your lines to your tone, nothing about you screamed 'serious kidnapper.' I mean, come on, what kind of criminal mastermind is a slender girl who could probably burst into tears after a single punch? It wasn't a hostage situation—it was a rich girl and her bodyguards playing make-believe."
Fujiwara's mouth fell open in sheer disbelief before her face turned red with righteous indignation. "T-That's just an insult to my acting prowess! I, Fujiwara Chika, am a master performer! Take it back, President!"
"Oh? Then tell me, why do you think none of the previous players exposed you?" Natsukawa smirked.
"Because I was just that good!" Fujiwara declared triumphantly.
"Or, is it possible that everyone was simply being polite and decided to humor you instead of outright exposing your obvious act?"
"..."
Silence.
For the first time in the conversation, Fujiwara was left speechless.
But just as Natsukawa thought he had won, she suddenly scrunched up her face, covered her ears, and started chanting, "I don't want to hear it, lalalala! The President is a dumb turtle! Lelelel (?????)..."
"..."
He stared at her, utterly dumbfounded.
She really was just throwing a tantrum because she lost the argument.
His gaze shifted toward the group of so-called "thugs" who had been backing her up, only to find that they had all nonchalantly stepped aside, completely uninvolved. Some had even pulled out dumbbells and started training right then and there.
"..."
Oh, so they're just sports club guys doing their own thing. How very fitting.
But what on earth did Fujiwara Chika bribe them with to get them to join her ridiculous scheme?
"Anyway, no matter how much you try to deny it, facts are facts," Natsukawa pressed on. "And more importantly, have you even considered the consequences of this whole stunt? What if people started having real conflicts because of your 'choose one or the other' scenario? What if some friendships were genuinely damaged because of it? And worst of all, what if people actually complained to the Student Council?"
"H-Hold on, this was only meant for those who already had a partner in mind! It's not like the entire school was involved..." Fujiwara's voice wavered as she tried to defend herself.
Natsukawa turned to Shinomiya Kaguya, silently questioning if this was true. She simply shook her head, equally clueless.
"Even so," he continued, "there will always be exceptions. Someone is bound to slip through the cracks and take it personally. Can you guarantee that not a single person will feel hurt or betrayed? Can you be absolutely certain that no one will come knocking on the Student Council's door to file an official complaint?"
The weight of his words settled heavily in the air.
For once, Fujiwara Chika had nothing to say.
And that, in itself, was a rare occurrence indeed.
Previously, Natsukawa Kanade had entrusted the design of the event's game levels to the gaming department, hoping for some fresh innovation. It just so happened that Fujiwara Chika enthusiastically volunteered, so he left it in her hands. However, the final result was far from what he had envisioned.
Instead of prioritizing enjoyment and engagement, the game had elements that could easily create awkwardness and tension among participants. Before he could focus on making the event "exciting and unique," he had to ensure that it wouldn't make anyone feel embarrassed or uncomfortable. And yet, from what he had just witnessed, this segment had a glaring flaw—if two partners failed to recognize the setup as a farce and acted based on genuine fear, it could lead to emotional conflicts between them. Worse, when the truth was revealed, all that resentment would inevitably be directed at Fujiwara Chika, the mastermind behind the "test."
People aren't always rational. Even if their own choices led to the fallout, they would still look for someone to blame. And the easiest scapegoat? The person who orchestrated the whole ordeal.
And there was no way he was going to let Fujiwara Chika take the fall for this.
That was why, even if he had to be a little harsh, he had to make her understand.
"Do you get it now?"
"..."
Silence.
Kanade thought she was finally reflecting on her actions. But the next moment—
"Uuuuuuuuuhhh...!" Fujiwara Chika's shoulders started shaking, and tears welled up in her eyes. "I worked so hard to make this fun… and now the president is scolding me like this…! I don't wanna do this anymore...!"
"..."
Kanade felt a headache coming on.
Wait. Was she seriously crying? Over this? It wasn't like he was actually mad—he was just pointing out the problems!
But when he glanced around and saw the way the other students were looking at him—like he was some villainous tyrant bullying a naive, airheaded girl—he realized he had to do something fast.
"Uh... Haha, maybe I was a bit too harsh," he said, forcing a sheepish smile. "Actually, you know what? It's not that bad. I might've been overthinking it."
"Sniff… You're lying... You're still making fun of me in your head, aren't you…?" Chika accused, her eyes red as she sniffled dramatically.
"No, no! Not at all!" Kanade waved his hands frantically. "I actually think... there's a lot of potential here! We just need to refine a few details!"
"Refine how?" Chika perked up instantly.
Her reaction was so quick that it was like the crying girl from seconds ago had never even existed.
Kanade's expression twitched. She was toying with him, wasn't she?
"Uh…" He hesitated. After all, he had just made that up on the spot. He hadn't actually thought of a solid alternative yet.
"Aha! You don't actually have an idea, do you?! The president is a fraud! Waaaah!"
"Wait, wait! I do! I was just organizing my thoughts! Yeah, that's right, organizing my thoughts!" Kanade quickly backtracked.
Chika sniffled dramatically again, but she was listening.
"The game itself doesn't need to change," Kanade continued after a deep breath. "That would be too much of a hassle. But we can tweak the execution. The key issue is how believable the setup is. If it looks too realistic, some participants will take it seriously and cause unnecessary tension. So instead of going for full realism, we should make it more obviously staged."
"Hmmm… like how?" Chika asked, tilting her head.
"For example, don't bother with the masks. Just wear something silly instead, like sunglasses—ah, wait, no, it's already dark outside. Scratch that." Kanade coughed to cover his mistake. "The point is, we should make it easy for the participants to realize that it's an act. The more obvious the flaws, the better. That way, the game becomes about figuring out the performance rather than feeling trapped in an actual psychological dilemma."
"Ooooh! So we WANT to be bad actors!" Chika clapped her hands like she had just made a profound discovery.
"Well… sort of."
"But wait, if we make it too easy to see through, doesn't that ruin the test? What if people realize right away that it's fake and don't take it seriously?" she asked, frowning.
"That brings me to my next point," Kanade said, crossing his arms. "If someone exposes the act in the middle of the game—like I did—you just ignore them."
"Huh? Ignore them?" Chika blinked.
"Yeah. Just keep going with the performance as if nothing happened. If someone loudly calls you out, act like you don't hear them or that they're just messing around. That way, you can still put the pressure on the other participants who are actually playing along."
"To be honest, anyone with even a shred of emotional intelligence wouldn't keep trying to expose you at that point. They'd most likely just play along with the scenario. Whatever happens between the two participants from there on out isn't your concern. Your job is just to execute your part of the act."
"Hmm… but isn't that kind of boring? It feels completely staged and fake," Fujiwara Chika pouted, crossing her arms in defiance.
She didn't mind if someone saw through the trick, but she flat-out refused to intentionally leave flaws in the performance. That just wasn't her style.
Natsukawa Kanade glanced at her, thinking to himself—isn't this all fake to begin with?
"Fine, we can put this plan on hold for now and move on to other ideas," he conceded, rubbing his temples.
"Yes, yes! Tell me the next idea, President!" Fujiwara Chika's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
"If you really want a more convincing act, then the first thing you need to adjust is your overall image," he stated bluntly.
"My… image?" Fujiwara Chika narrowed her eyes at him, already looking offended.
"Yeah. Your appearance and physique are fixed, sure, but you can at least change your demeanor. For example, in that last scenario, you didn't need to speak so much. Instead, just sit down on a chair with your legs crossed, and have a subordinate speak for you. You act like a silent boss, observing quietly."
"Gah… But then I won't have any lines! That's so boring!" she protested, flailing her arms dramatically.
"There's an easy solution for that. If you don't care about being too convincing, you could still speak normally while seated. After all, not everyone is familiar with your voice. But if you're worried about being recognized, why not use a voice changer?" Natsukawa Kanade suggested, his expression calm and composed.
"A voice changer...?" Fujiwara Chika's eyes lit up with intrigue.
"That way, you can distort your voice so even people who know you won't be able to recognize it. Plus, it adds an eerie touch. The participants will feel even more unnerved when they hear an unfamiliar voice coming from you—it creates a sense of artificiality that makes them uneasy."
At worst, they wouldn't even be able to tell it was Fujiwara Chika behind the mask.
Natsukawa Kanade had already resigned himself to the fact that they were going through with this absurd idea, so he might as well contribute by throwing in a few "bad ideas" of his own. As long as she didn't spill the whole truth in the middle of the act, it didn't really matter how she handled it.
But if he had to pick the safest approach, it would be better to have her stay silent altogether—hence, the "silent boss" concept he had suggested.
Luckily, voice changers weren't exactly easy to come by, especially not at this event. So the chances of her actually getting one were—
"Oh! That's perfect! We already bought a voice changer before, remember? This is the perfect chance to use it!" Fujiwara Chika suddenly exclaimed, clapping her hands together in excitement.
Damn it…
Natsukawa Kanade felt a headache coming on.
"As expected of the President! Always coming up with useful suggestions!" she praised him with a beaming smile.
"..."
Didn't she just completely reject my first idea a minute ago?
"Well… even if I can't use my real voice, it's all for the sake of the event! Alright! Fujiwara Chika, moving out!" she declared, striking a dramatic pose.
"Wait, hold on. Can't you at least reconsider? I still think the first method was the more reasonable one—" Natsukawa Kanade tried one last time.
"Hey, hey! Guild Master, stop interfering! The next group of challengers is probably arriving soon! Guild Master and Kaguya-chan, please sign in and leave immediately. Don't get in the way of our noble mission—to test the bravery of these players!" Fujiwara Chika waved him off, flashing a smug grin. Then, as if her emotional switch had flipped again, she latched onto Shinomiya Kaguya's arm and said, "Kaguya-chan, I'll come play with you once I'm done working!"
Natsukawa Kanade watched her prance away, sighing deeply.
There's no stopping her once she gets like this…
He had no choice but to let it go. Now, his only concern was mitigating any potential fallout from this chaotic performance.
Since Shinomiya Kaguya was still occupied by Fujiwara Chika's antics, Natsukawa Kanade approached one of the event staff members stationed at the check-in booth.
"Listen up. If anyone comes to check in and asks who designed this event, just tell them it was organized by the Student Council."
The staff member nodded. "Understood. And if they ask for a specific name?"
Natsukawa Kanade's lips curled into a devious smirk.
"Just tell them it was proposed by President Natsukawa Kanade."