609 - I Was Genderswapped and Reincarnated as a Villainess, but I’m Making this My Personal Yuri Game

The current student council members were escorted away by our people in black suits. Their fate is likely the best-case scenario being expulsion, and in the worst case, their entire families might disappear. We’re not actually killing them. However, even if it was a mere prank, they pointed a modified airsoft gun at the daughter of the Kujou family. At the very least, their parents will lose their jobs, and they won't be able to continue living where they currently reside. Expulsion from the academy, loss of jobs and home... It's tantamount to a death sentence. But, they brought this upon themselves. I can't help but feel a bit bad for them. But if we show leniency to such people, we can't maintain our standing as nobility. If they believe they can get away with anything because there are no real consequences, more will try and see how far they can push. It's crucial that they understand that if you cross the Kujou family, there won’t be a simple escape. Upon returning to the classroom, the voting took place, but the vice president position remained vacant since only current student council members were running. There's a chance some could win other roles even if they're expelled, so we might have to hold a reelection by next week. As I pondered over these issues and finished voting, during the break, Natsume came in search of me. He didn't enter the classroom but asked another student outside to call me out. When I went into the hallway, he mentioned wanting to have a long talk and we agreed to meet in an empty classroom after school. I wondered what Natsume intended by fooling around with the election process, and why he had called me out this time. I'll find out after school. Given it was a summons from the Ichijo side, I thought to be on guard. But seeing Natsume's rather pale complexion, I decided there wasn’t much to worry about and waited for the end of the school day. --- After school, I waited in the empty classroom as promised, and soon after, Natsume came in. He was not late, so I didn’t mean to chastise him for that, but as soon as he entered, he knelt down. "The anger of Lord Kujou is entirely justified. But please listen!" I had arrived first and was sitting while waiting, but it hadn't been a long wait. I wasn’t angry, so I considered telling him to raise his head when Natsume started speaking rapidly. He explained that his candidacy for the student council election was under the orders of the Ichijo family. The next day, Masaki ran for the election, and knowing I supported Masaki, Natsume had no intention of opposing us; hence, he didn’t campaign seriously, and his final speech was deliberately foolish. In light of that, it made sense. His campaign didn't seem earnest, and his ridiculous speech is explainable if it was to show he bore no hostility toward us. However, if he was running under orders from the ruling Ichijo family, defying them in such a way would be disastrous. "Wouldn't acting as you did earn you scolding from both the Ichijo Family and your parents?" "Y-yes..." "Avoiding conflict with me but being abandoned by the leader of your faction would spell doom for the Nanba family. As a noble family, wouldn't they cut you off to protect the family's standing?" "I'm sure Ichijo-sama and my parents would do exactly that..." The Ichijo Family has historically discarded even the Doujou Family. They wouldn’t hesitate to cast aside the Chika family either. Undoubtedly, the Nanba family would sacrifice Natsume to save themselves. If it seemed as if he defied orders and lost the election, they would pin the blame on Natsume and discard him. Regardless of whether the Ichijo Family would be satisfied with that, Natsume would certainly face blame from both sides. "Kujou Sakuya-sama! Please! Please use me as one of your pawns, Sakuya-sama! I know some of the internal affairs of Ichijo! I’ll be of help to you, I swear, so please!" Natsume was pressing his forehead onto the dirty floor of an unclean, unused classroom. As the heir of the third-rank Nanba family, which followed the Ichijo, he must have been raised to a decent standard. Yet, he was now putting aside his pride to plead with me. To be honest, I didn't want to get involved with characters from the game "Koi ni Saku Hana" aside from my group of friends. Even minor roles or background characters could have unforeseen impacts. Furthermore, most characters in the game didn't have favorable feelings toward Lady Sakuya. They were the type who reveled during her condemnation. But, Koho, Suzuran, and even, to some extent, Sakura and Masaki—there are characters in this world who aren't as bad or as unpleasant as they were in the game. Ibuki and Enju remain disagreeable and maintain poor manners toward Lady Sakuya. Nanba Natsume might be that type as well. However, leaving him to his fate doesn’t sit well with me. "..." "…" Looking down at him, Natsume gazed back at me with eyes like an abandoned puppy. Being given unreasonable orders by his main house, and if he defied them, being abandoned by his own family to shoulder all the responsibility... That has to be terrifyingly isolating. I've never faced such a situation myself, but if Lady Sakuya were to be stripped of her family's status and banished, I'd probably feel much like Natsume does now. "Alright. Very well. I, Kujou Sakuya, will guarantee your safety. But in return... you'll work hard for me, won't you?" "Y-yes! Leave it to me!" There might come a time when I'll think I made a mistake in choosing this path. But if Lady Sakuya were ever exiled and she sought someone's help, only to be coldly rejected, how would she feel? Begging desperately even to her rivals for a straw to clutch onto, and her plea was dismissed... That would be unbearable. Though I'm reluctant to engage much with Natsume, a character connected to the original story, being ordered to run and then facing eradication for losing is exceedingly unfair. The original work... The original, huh... Now that I think about it, the vice president position has no candidates besides the current board members. It's likely a reelection or supplementary election will occur for other roles by next week. Perhaps aligning with the original work by having Masaki as student council president and Natsume as vice president might be wise. Even if he doesn't attain the president role, securing the vice president might grant Natsume leniency from the Nanba family and the Ichijo family, don’t you think? Maybe not? "You'll be put to work starting next week." "...what?" For now, if another election occurs next week, I'll have Natsume run for vice president. If he gets elected and the Nanba and Ichijo families are satisfied, all the better. If not, we'll try to protect just Natsume within the Kujou family. Having some knowledge of the internal workings of the Ichijo faction might prove useful in the future. Having completed my secret discussion with Natsume, I headed toward the Gokita Association salon. --- The following Saturday, I found myself at the Nijo residence after being summoned by their family. In addition to myself, members from the Inada and Matsumoto families were already present, as well as a man I was meeting for the first time. Especially the representatives from the Inada family and the new face both appeared notably pale. They must have comprehended what was about to transpire. "Ah, Sakuya-chan! Thank you for coming," greeted Eiko-sama. "Good day, Eiko-sama." I thought to myself that I'd come because she summoned me, but restrained from voicing it. As the lady of the Gokita family, Eiko-sama wasn't just for show. Her usual demeanor may seem cheerful, with her old-town dialect and smiles, but behind the scenes, she's quite capable of ruthless deeds. "Since you've gathered this group of people..." "Just as Sakuya-chan guessed, we're here to discuss the fate of the Inada family," Eiko-sama replied. Upon hearing those words, the lady from the Inada family visibly flinched. If the Nijo family was acting directly, it meant not only that evidence had been solidified but also all groundwork had been laid. By the time we were called here, the fate of the Inada family had been sealed. Being an internal issue of the Nijo faction, I had no authority to intervene. "We once provided funds and saved the company from financial straits... And yet, you've managed the business poorly again and solicited aid from the Ichijo family... Are you taking the Nijo lightly?" "Eek!?" Eiko-sama's tone shifted as she glared sharply at the Inada couple. They trembled in fear, and I felt the same anxiety. Her typical old-town accent wasn’t her real way of speaking. Eiko-sama actually has the dialect of a merchant town farther south, and when that slips out, it means she's seriously angry. "Speak up! Didn't you hear me asking for an explanation?" "Y-yes! Please listen to me!" the head of the Inada family hastily began to defend himself. It seemed the current embezzlement issue was also unknown to him. His wife's embezzlement methods had become more sophisticated than before, and by the time he noticed, it was beyond recovery. That alone disqualifies him as the head, but there’s some room for sympathy. In an effort to cover the embezzlement, he struggled fruitlessly until approached by a member of the Ichijo faction who offered financial assistance in exchange for becoming a spy for Ichijo. The man seated beside the Inada family was the lawyer who had visited the hospital when Utsugisou had her accident. Though it was my first direct encounter with him, I had been briefed and recognized his face. He was indeed a legitimate lawyer with an office, but he was also a lawyer under the Ichijo faction's employ. The intermediary role between the Ichijo faction's loan to the Inada family was facilitated by this shady lawyer who prepared contracts. Previously, Nijo faction members had already secured dominant assets of the Inada family's company. Effectively, the Ichijo faction's loans had become unrecoverable debts. Yet, the Ichijo faction lent to the Inada family. As the Inada family admitted, their goal was espionage for Ichijo. To the Ichijo, the money lent to the Inada family was trivial compared to the potential gains from using them as spies, acquiring information, and spreading false information within the Nijo faction. Furthermore, upon learning about the accident, Ichijo instructed the Inada family to stir up trouble at the academy, tarnishing its and the student council's reputation and influencing the next election to plant Ichijo associates. Although the recent actions of the student council, the accident, and orders directed at both the Inada and Nanba families appeared linked, they resulted from individuals exploiting circumstances, culminating in complexity. Merely pursuing the student council's intrigue wouldn’t reveal the truth, with the Ichijo faction's moves alone being insufficient to explain everything. This entanglement arose because multiple parties acted on their respective motives. In hindsight, it may seem straightforward, but that's the consequence of retrospect. For those involved without a bird's eye view, it was reasonable to suspect a massive conspiracy or mystery was afoot. However, even considering all of this, one unresolved matter remains. "And why, exactly, did the Matsumoto family side with the Inada family?" "…" My question prompted the Matsumoto head to quietly close his eyes. This is the only aspect that eludes understanding. The matters with the Inada family, the Ichijo family, the shady lawyer, and the current student council members were discernable upon investigation. The other families that sided with the Inada due to claims of danger to their children were explained. But the Matsumoto family's involvement remains unclear. Did they feel indebted to the Inada family because their child, Ryou, fell on top of Utsugisou? That reasoning feels weak. The Matsumoto family hasn't been absorbed into the Ichijo faction, nor were they reacting hysterically like other families that agreed to the plot. "Our actions were entirely for the Kujou family's sake. That is all." "…" The Matsumoto family head said this resolutely, bowing. His expression did not portray an attempt to save themselves, but rather they seemed like loyal subjects accepting their fate. "It is true the Matsumoto family is intertwined in this uproar. Whatever punishment we face, we will accept it." With a face steeled for consequence, he bowed his head again. To think their engagement in this chaos was for the Kujou family's sake... What benefit is there in being willing to ruin their own family? "What a wonderful family, Sakuya-chan. Unlike my own clueless brood, I’m envious," Eiko-sama remarked. "Huh?" Did Eiko-sama grasp the full truth behind the Matsumoto family's actions? I wished she’d explain it to me as well. "They knew Inada had been absorbed by Ichijo and infiltrated the group to monitor them. Once understanding Ichijo's goals, they undercut and thwarted those plans, even at the cost of being marked as traitors, all for Sakuya-chan's benefit. It takes true loyalty to pull off such a feat, doesn’t it?" "Ah..." I see... Now I finally understand. The Matsumoto family knew about the Inada family's dealings and chose to appear to be on their side. By doing so, they investigated the objectives of the Inada family and, behind them, the Ichijo faction. Once they figured out that the student council election was the target, they managed to lower the reputations of the current student council, the Inada family, Matsumoto family, and the Ichijo family, thereby expanding my influence. I never desired such an outcome, but ultimately, I ended up successfully organizing the sports festival and positioning Masaki, someone believed to be under my influence, as the student council president. To outsiders, it looked like I preemptively thwarted the Ichijo faction's ambitions while simultaneously strengthening my influence. The Matsumoto family did this much for the Kujou family and for me, even at the risk of being labeled as traitors. They are prepared to accept any punishment. Indeed, only a truly loyal subject could act in such a manner. "I will take responsibility for any consequences directed at the Matsumoto family." "K-Kujou-sama! But that..." The head of the Matsumoto family raised his head in urgency, but I gestured for him to hold his peace. If they were simply let go without consequence, even if they had acted on behalf of the Kujou family, it wouldn't set a proper example. However, dissolving such a loyal family is not an option. A leader must reward loyalty, otherwise, they are unfit to stand at the top. "As for the Inada family and the lawyer, prepare yourselves." "Eek!" Once again, Eiko-sama's visage contorted, striking fear into the hearts of the three individuals concerned. The fate of the Inada family must be left for the Nijo family to decide. But Utsugisou isn’t a bad child. It would be terrible if such a wonderful child were to be left in dire straits due to her family’s actions. I will ensure the future of Utsugisou and handle the matter with the Matsumoto family's disposition.