“I believe we should discuss this.”

The first to break the silence was Isshiki Shizuku.

Houjou Noa gently stroked the red ring on her right hand, quietly leaving the matter to her.

“A swap of up to five students will have a major impact on future class management. Mizuki-sama, may I have permission to hold a class meeting?”

“…Un.”

As soon as she received Mizuki’s approval, Shizuku stepped up to the podium.

“The newly introduced trade system seems to allow for a certain degree of control. First, I would like to gather opinions on whether damage control is possible.”

Damage control.

At Shizuku’s choice of words, Noa let out a small laugh.

It was something Noa herself had been thinking about as well, and she admired how skillfully Shizuku had kept it vague.

“That’s true. Damage control is important, but wouldn’t it be better to start by asking for volunteers?”

The moment she spoke, the eyes of the entire classroom turned to Noa.

How to steer the discussion toward damage control in the most peaceful way possible, this was where her skill would be tested.

“Only the top five students can obtain trade rights. That means the trade would most likely be with Class A or Class B.”

She rose from her seat and turned toward her classmates with a friendly smile.

“If someone uses their trade right to move into Class K, then the lowest-ranking student in Class K would automatically move into a higher-ranking class. I don’t think that’s a bad deal.”

First, it was necessary to get the class to understand that this wasn’t a bad thing.

Otherwise, depending on how the discussion went, they could end up earning Toudou Mizuki’s displeasure.

“On top of that, class selection rights are still in place. After being traded into Class A or Class B, you can use them to move down to a lower-ranking class. That’s actually a really good deal.”

Noa said this as casually as she could.

She spread both of her arms in an exaggerated gesture, looking around the classroom.

No one raised their hand.

In the silence, Mizuki hesitantly spoke up.

“Um… it’s kind of awkward to say you want to go to another class right in front of me, isn’t it? Should I step outside?”

“Ah, you’re right. That was a bit thoughtless of me. Mizuki-kun, could you wait in the hallway for a moment? It won’t take long.”

As Noa put on her best smile, Mizuki quietly stood up.

“Um… if anyone wants to go to another class, you don’t have to worry about me, okay?”

After saying it hesitantly, Mizuki left the classroom, and the atmosphere inside shifted completely.

Isshiki Shizuku looked over at Noa with a practiced smile.

“Houjou-san, are you planning to become an actress?”

Noa merely gave a small shrug and said nothing.

“Well then,” Kurosaki Ren spoke up.

“Isn’t there anyone who wants to go to another class? If we’ve got five people, that should settle it.”

“Yes, it’s first come, first served. Anyone interested?”

Once again, Shizuku asked the entire class.

As expected, no one raised their hand.

“It seems there’s no one who wants to leave of their own accord.”

As if she had anticipated this outcome, Shizuku nodded, then turned her gaze to Noa.

“By the way, Houjou-san, are you confident about the exams?”

“Hm… if you’re asking whether I’m confident I can place in the top five, then yes. I’ll definitely make it.”

“I see. I’m confident I can place in the top five as well. Which means we can limit the trades to at most three people.”

At that moment, a small laugh echoed through the classroom.

The owner of that laugh was Shinomiya Seika.

With jet-black hair flowing down to her waist like a Japanese doll, she was one of the people Noa regarded as someone to be wary of.

“Is there really any need to deliberately limit the number of trades to three? Isn’t this a perfect opportunity to get rid of the useless ones?”

Her voice was sweet and clear.

“Isshiki and Houjou should intentionally lower their scores just a little. That way, five capable people will come rolling in, and five incompetents can be pushed onto the upper classes. If your aim is to reach the top class, this is the only option.”

Past Noa would have agreed with Shinomiya Seika’s opinion.

But this time, she wasn’t inclined to go along with it.

“Major upheavals within the class environment place a psychological burden on male students. Personally, I’d rather not put too much strain on Mizuki-kun.”

“What a pointless charade. Why don’t you try speaking honestly for once? You just want to reduce the chances of a troublesome rival like Nanase entering the class, don’t you?”

Shinomiya Seika said it as if she saw right through her.

As the only daughter of Taihei Taisha, she occupied a unique position that was less influenced by the Eighteen Founding Houses.
 TN: Taihei (泰平) is the shrine’s name, and Taisha (大社) denotes a high-ranking Shinto shrine.

The Party officially promoted the unity of religion and governance. Although Shinto was designated as the state religion, its institutions operated under a power structure separate from Noa and the others.

“From a long-term perspective, Shinomiya’s opinion is correct. If you think about what’s best for Class K as a whole, the trade system can hardly be called a bad thing.”

Amagi Kuon spoke up, as if jumping on the bandwagon.

“Oh?” Noa turned her gaze toward her.

Up until now, despite her family’s standing, Amagi Kuon had rarely voiced her opinions in class.

Perhaps the class’s provisional second place, earned through the sports festival, had stirred her ambition for the top class—that was Noa’s assessment.

“…What was that damage control you mentioned earlier?”

Kurosaki Ren cut in.

With Mizuki gone, Isshiki Shizuku answered as if nothing were amiss.

“It means we wouldn’t decide purely by results. We’d choose who gets put up for trade based on other criteria and have them deliberately lower their exam scores. That way, we can keep people with strong physical ability and the like.”

“Heh…”

Ren’s gaze shifted toward Shimokawa Anzu and the others.

They were the ones who hadn’t achieved much at the sports festival.

If they were going to push someone out as damage control, there was no doubt they’d be the targets.

“….”

Or perhaps—Noa let her thoughts run.

She gently stroked the red ring.

She’d secured a place in the colony. Now she needed to eliminate as many uncertainties as possible.

“Hiyori.”

She turned back and called one of her Yoriki by name.

It seemed like the perfect opportunity.

“Hiyori, if I remember correctly, you were interested in another class, weren’t you?”

Kisaragi Hiyori looked back at Noa with a stiff expression.

Noa put on a gentle, considerate smile and continued.

“I asked you to transfer here for my sake, but this is your chance to return to your original class. Thank you for everything up to now.”

She was adept at putting on different façades.

Keeping Kisaragi Hiyori close after she had gotten on Toudou Mizuki’s bad side was dangerous.

Her volatile temperament didn’t suit Mizuki either.

From here on, she needed to pull as many Yoriki as possible into the colony and bring it under her control.

She intended to actively test Gobai Miya, who was earnest, and Ogata Ayano, who had a mild temperament, but Sakura Sanae, for instance, was capable yet headstrong and likely not a good fit.

If she could send Kisaragi Hiyori out and instead bring in a Yoriki with better compatibility who remained in Class B, that would be the ideal outcome.

“Then, shall we proceed with putting Kisaragi-san up for trade?”

Shizuku asked flatly.

Kisaragi Hiyori remained silent, offering no reply.

“Hiyori, you don’t need to worry about me. You served me well. I swear that I will repay you for this cause.”

Words spoken by a Houjou carried weight.

Hiyori bit her lip and lowered her gaze.

“…Understood.”

She seemed to force the words out.

With that, one source of uncertainty was removed.

“Then, under the current conditions, the number of trades can be limited to two.”

For a brief moment, Shizuku’s eyes shifted to Otonashi Nagi.

If they were to decide on two more to cast out as dead weight, Otonashi Nagi would unquestionably be the leading candidate.

However, it was common knowledge that Mizuki took an interest in her, and no one dared to bring it up.

“So then, what shall we do? Keep it limited to two, or reduce the number of uncontrolled trades to zero?”

“In that case, let’s put it to a vote.”

At Shizuku’s words, Shinomiya Seika let out a small laugh.

“With Houjou present, a vote like that would just be a waste of time. Do as you please.”

“Any objections?”

Shizuku swept her gaze across the classroom.

No one spoke up.

“In that case, the class policy will be to keep the number of trades to a minimum and aim for two.”

“So we are going to do the damage control, right?”

Kurosaki Ren asked, sounding anxious.

Ren had been one of the people who produced results at the sports festival.

With damage control applied properly, she would almost certainly remain in the class.

“Naturally.”

Shinomiya Seika agreed as if it went without saying.

Amagi Kuon followed suit.

“There’s no reason to oppose it. If we leave things to chance, it could interfere with the special program down the line.”

Listening to her classmates’ opinions, Noa fell into thought.

All that occupied her mind was Toudou Mizuki.

And with that came a single concern.

“I’m against it.”

“Why is that?”

Shinomiya Seika looked at her in surprise.

“Well, there’s no particularly deep reason.”

Noa thought Mizuki would notice if they did such things blatantly.

And she could easily imagine Mizuki stepping in to defend any girls put in that position.

If she could at least get Kisaragi Hiyori out, that would be enough. After that, she didn’t particularly care what happened.

“So what do we do? Take a vote?”

Shimokawa Anzu and the others would oppose damage control.

Combined with Noa’s own faction, the outcome was obvious.

“…Do as you please.”

Shinomiya Seika said it with a displeased look.

“Sorry about that. But I’m doing this for the sake of the class. I want you to understand that.”

The consolidation of the class was going smoothly. Noa’s opinions were starting to become the class consensus.

They had put measures in place to keep the number of trades as low as possible.

With as many uncertainties eliminated as she could manage, all that was left was to position her Yoriki and move toward securing control of the colony.

“Then, the final conclusion. The number of trades will be kept to a minimum. No damage control will be carried out, and the end-of-semester exam results will be used to determine class placement. This will be our policy.”

The class meeting ended entirely according to Noa’s wishes.

The only remaining concern was the restriction that students in a Pairing would be exempt from trade.

“Looks like we’re done. I’ll go get Mizuki-kun.”

As if nothing had happened, she stepped out into the hallway with a pleasant smile.

A short distance away, she could see Mizuki chatting casually with his aide, Mikado Rei.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Mizuki-kun. We’re finished on our end.”

Then she lowered her voice and continued.

“There’s something I’d like to talk to you about during lunch break. I want you to come to my dorm room.”