After composing himself, Ryūen thought for a moment and explained, "Just as you said, to take down Nagumo, we really have to start with the second-years. And they aren't the monolithic block you described. I've made some discoveries during my investigation."
At this point, Ryūen sent her two photos in quick succession.
Symon glanced at them. The photos showed a man and a woman. The man was a familiar face, someone he had seen during the previous Student Council deliberation.
The girl was beautiful, with white hair, red eyes, and delicate features. Judging by the photo, her gaze was quite menacing; it was clear the photographer had been discovered while taking a surreptitious shot.
Without waiting for Symon to ask, Ryūen took the initiative to explain, "According to the information I've gathered, the current second-year Class B was Class A when they first enrolled. These two are the only ones in the second year qualified to stand against Nagumo."
"The man in the photo is Ikuto Kiriyama, the current leader of the second-year Class B. He's also the other vice president brought into the Student Council by Manabu Horikita."
"The woman is Fūka Kiryūin, a conglomerate heir, also from the second-year Class B. She's highly talented but has no interest in class affairs, does as she pleases, and doesn't have many friends."
"However, she has been secretly buying up points, likely preparing to gather the 20 million needed to transfer classes."
At this point, Ryūen seemed to recall something and added with a frown, "Also, there's a guy in first-year Class D named Rokusuke Kōenji who's also buying up points. His background and methods are similar to that woman's."
"You don't need to pay attention to those two."
Symon shook his head and said with a smile, "The school uses avenues for advancement and money to entice students to compete. But for giants like the conglomerates that straddle politics and business, all they have to do is make a promise, and they can easily usurp the school's ecosystem, making everyone play house with them."
"To put it bluntly, every student in this school is on a completely different level from them. You don't need to concern yourself with people like that. Even if you offered to be their lapdog, they might not even accept you."
"Tch! That's a merciless evaluation." Ryūen sneered, but he understood the key point. He instantly decided to treat those two as nothing more than background characters from now on.
"I'm just stating the facts,"
Symon shook his head and said:
"Is there any other useful information? As it stands, Kiriyama is Manabu Horikita's public pawn and the only chance to turn the tables. However, in a direct confrontation, he poses no threat to Nagumo whatsoever."
"Heh, well, there is something."
Ryūen gave a cold laugh, picked up his terminal, and sent over twenty more photos. They all depicted Miyabi Nagumo getting cozy with different girls. He didn't say anything further, intending to let "Hiyori Shiina" improvise.
After patiently examining the photos, Symon quickly grasped Ryūen's intention and couldn't help but remark internally, "This guy certainly has his luck with the ladies."
"That's not allowed~!" Hiyori responded with a light laugh in his mind.
"Hiyori, I haven't even said anything yet!"
"Mr. Ghost must be thinking about something lewd. You can't do that~"
Listening to the girl's soft yet playful whisper, Symon absentmindedly brushed a strand of hair from his ear. He lowered his gaze in thought for a moment before speaking in a calm tone:
"If you want to defeat Miyabi Nagumo, instead of digging into trivial matters like this, I suggest you study America's two-party elections. I believe you'll find it very educational."
"However, this isn't completely useless. Once you have a scandal, the next steps are framing, exaggeration, and fabricating guilt from innocence."
"If you want him politically dead, then bribe or manipulate a girl he's involved with to accuse him of sexual assault. Make him run his campaign from a prison cell. It's not like it hasn't happened before in history."
Ryūen's pupils contracted. "!!!"
I told you to improvise, and this is how you open? You're playing for keeps right from the start?
Ignoring his shock, Symon changed the subject, speaking calmly, "You don't need to actually prove it. Aren't you the Head of the Disciplinary Committee? Before the Student Council election, you just need to be able to take him away. First, cut off his platform to speak, then make sure the accusation is known by everyone."
"If he still manages to run, you can also tamper with the ballot boxes, replace the ballots, forge votes, bribe the vote counters or recorders..."
"Tactics like these have been used countless times by our predecessors and are still in use today."
"To be honest, since this school champions meritocracy, I'm quite curious myself... would the school dare to let you use these methods on its students?"
Ignoring Ryūen's strange look, as if he were seeing her for the first time, Symon finished his piece nonchalantly and added casually:
"Publicly, however, you still need to contact Kiriyama and ascertain his intentions."
"When you're trying to win over the first-year classes, you can offer Student Council positions and the president's authority as terms for dividing the spoils. I imagine Kiriyama would be much more generous than Nagumo, considering he has nothing to lose."
"Once you've secured a basic voting base, you can find the right time to execute the plan. As for the subsequent power restructuring of the Student Council, it's a bit too early to discuss. That's the general direction. Is there any more intel?"
Having casually laid out a theoretically viable strategy for seizing power for Ryūen, Symon asked with a smile.
"There's one more piece of bad news."
Ryūen leaned back in his swivel chair, rubbing his temples. "That Ichinose woman was likely brought into the Student Council by Nagumo himself. They've been getting close lately. Class B has probably already sided with Miyabi Nagumo."
"That is indeed bad news."
Symon deadpanned the words, unconcerned by this minor issue. He smiled and said, "Then we'll just have to find a way to drive a wedge between them. Ichinose is exceptionally beautiful herself. Find a chance to show her these photos. Even if it doesn't cause a complete break, it will plant a thorn in her heart."
At the same time, Hiyori suddenly spoke up in his mind, "If that's the case... I feel a bit worried. I'll remind Ichinose if I get the chance."
"Yes... I'll talk to her about this," Symon immediately added out loud.
"Heh, so you're actually willing to get your own hands dirty?" Ryūen taunted coldly, though he didn't refuse the offer.
"I can't just watch a girl like that walk into a lion's den."
After this casual reply, Symon saw that Ryūen likely had nothing more to say. He slipped the personal terminal into his pocket, stood up, and left the Disciplinary Committee Office.
Watching "Hiyori Shiina" leave, Ryūen waited until the office door closed. He raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, mentally slapping a "ruthless and cruel" label on "Hiyori Shiina."
To be fair, the most extreme idea he had come up with was planting a hidden camera in Nagumo's room. He never expected Hiyori Shiina to be even more vicious than him.
Although, these methods certainly did align with his personal style...
_____
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