After breaking up, my ex asked me to win her back

Kiryu Hina admitted that she had somewhat underestimated Ayakoji Chiyoko's abilities.

It indeed was wrong to judge a female high school student by conventional standards.

High school students are organisms that grow on their own.

Whether they face setbacks in some corner or find new goals and ideals, they start to change, becoming completely different people in just a year.

From homebodies to social butterflies, from invisible to idols, from followers to leaders, from bullies to bullied; people like this are everywhere.

This is the vigorous vitality of youth.

It's as disgustingly resilient as an earthworm that survives being cut in half.

Thanks to this unpredictability, her plans had fallen through completely.

Could there be anything more unfortunate?

However, Kiryu Hina was actually not in a hurry, for she had one last ace up her sleeve.

That was Ayakoji Chiyoko's veteran favorite, the hidden spy, Mr. Kagura Hikaru.

Although she was dissatisfied that he had snatched Saijo Mari ahead of her, she couldn't be bothered to fuss over it too much—after all, they were ultimately on the same side.

Saijo Mari was a captive of Kagura Hikaru, and Kagura Hikaru was her captive—a smooth chain of control, was it not?

As long as she controlled Kagura Hikaru, Saijo Mari was essentially her subordinate as well.

This was the practical application of "men conquer the world, women conquer men."

Even if Ayakoji Chiyoko changed rapidly, even if the old methods of dealing with her all failed, what did it matter? She still had a weakness, and it was the most fatal one.

As the saying goes, "Heroes falter at the beauty pass," but the reverse is also true, "Beauties falter at the hero pass."

She trusted Kagura Hikaru too much, even to the extent of letting him control that important vote bank, Saijo Mari.

Didn't she feel that Kagura Hikaru might betray her?

Not necessarily.

Ayakoji Chiyoko was actively pretending not to see it.

Love blinded her, rendering her weak and blind.

Earlier, before the Student Council elections had even begun, Kiryu Hina had learned from Sakata Asahi that Ayakoji Chiyoko knew of Kagura Hikaru's identity.

She didn't regret deliberately leaking that information.

At that time, Ayakoji Chiyoko had three choices. One was to completely ignore it, to pretend not to know, and to live as usual.

But Kiryu Hina knew this was almost impossible; the likelihood was less than 1%.

After all, the elementary school boy who had saved her years ago was like an obsession to Ayakoji Chiyoko, always on her mind.

She even antagonized her, causing a lot of trouble, just to learn his identity.

Would a person as proud as Ayakoji Chiyoko let Kagura Hikaru go?

The second choice was to confess to Kagura Hikaru immediately and start dating.

This depended on how far their mutual affection had progressed.

Doubtless, with Kagura Hikaru's skill at deceit, this was the least worrying part.

If Ayakoji Chiyoko really spoke out, then even if Kagura Hikaru was unwilling, Kiryu Hina would make him willing.

If she chose this option, it would be easy to handle; they just needed to share a kiss at school, and a single secretly taken photo from a distance could ruin Ayakoji Chiyoko, rendering her unable to participate in the Student Council election.

In that case, the victory would undoubtedly be hers.

Regrettably, that person was not truly lovesick after all; she logically chose the third path.

That is, to observe and wait until the Student Council elections were over.

This career-first style matched the image she had always presented to others.

If learning the truth suddenly turned her into someone who thought only of sex and who drugged the man she liked to imprison him away from others like some über-possessive woman, it would be less a testament to Kagura Hikaru's enchanting ability and more a reason for her to see a doctor.

In any case, Ayakoji Chiyoko's decision to postpone her repayment and handling of Kagura Hikaru was correct.

Moreover, it was not hard to see that her possessiveness and fondness for Kagura Hikaru had been increasing lately.

She had even openly snatched a peach juice drink specifically bought by Kagura Hikaru for Ai Cheng Hua Lian, and had paid for it.

No hint of a former Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee's demeanor.

She was the very incarnation of impulsion driven by jealousy.

Kiryu Hina even suspected that Ayakoji Chiyoko thought of employing the repeal of the ban on romance as a campaign slogan only to pave the way for her future relationship with Kagura Hikaru.

To tell the truth, among the three choices, only the first one, that is, choosing to ignore Kagura Hikaru, was correct.

Any other path Ayakoji Chiyoko chose would lead her into the net trap that Kiryu Hina had preemptively laid for her.

The more she became obsessed with Kagura Hikaru, the greater her mistake.

Because the true allegiance of Kagura Hikaru was to someone else.

And it was no other than the person she considered as her arch-enemy, her biggest rival—Kiryu Hina herself!

Click, click.

Kiryu Hina mockingly laughed in her heart.

How foolish.

Is this woman misled and unaware of being deceived?

Utter failure does not even begin to describe it.

The next step was simple, so simple—it was to order Kagura Hikaru to momentarily make Saijo Mari change her attitude and cast her vote for herself.

With just this step, Ayakoji Chiyoko was doomed to lose.

She never would have thought that Kagura Hikaru was her greatest, most hidden trump card.

That's what Kiryu Hina believed.

Then, full of confidence, she was rejected.

"Eh...? What did you just say?"

"I won't help you, Hina." Kagura Hikaru lowered his eyelids, "It has nothing to do with Ayakoji Chiyoko, this time it's my own will, wanting to relieve you of your position as the Student Council President."

".....Why....."

"There is no why, it's just something I want to do."

"..."

Turns out, the real clown was herself.

Only then did Kiryu Hina understand.

The Ayakoji Chiyoko she had mocked in her heart, upon closer inspection, was essentially no different from 'Kiryu Hina' herself.

Laughable, laughable, laughable, indeed!

Kiryu Hina, you're not a clown, you're virtually an entire circus!

Knowing full well that Kagura Hikaru was a venomous snake, she still genuinely trusted him, believed that he wouldn't ruin it, thinking he was dancing in the palm of her hand and could not escape.

Had she never considered that he might have an ulterior motive from the start?

Had she never considered that someone who had once betrayed her could truly bear such trust without having second thoughts?

Aren't people untrustworthy, something she still doesn't understand even now?

Even she couldn't help but lament her own arrogance and foolishness.

She hadn't improved at all.

Rage and sorrow centered in her heart, spreading throughout her body, making her limbs stiff and cold, as if she was falling endlessly from a great height.

Some unpleasant memories hidden deep in her mind were evoked.

This familiar feeling, she had experienced it before.

Yes, she recalled.

The first time she had ever witnessed betrayal.

It was a white Christmas day.

She waited for someone in the snow, rubbing her hands, exhaling warm breath.