Chapter 9 - Trustworthiness

---Notice---

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"We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." ~Anais Nin

***Manabu Horikita***

His demeanor, his intellect, his charisma, almost every part of him bears an uncanny resemblance to Nagumo. It's almost eerie.

However, he's not a carbon copy of Nagumo. His demeanor is composed and confident, devoid of Nagumo's self-indulgent attitude and overconfidence. His charisma is observable, but it seems natural, as if it's an ingrained part of him, unlike Nagumo's charisma, which appears to have been cultivated over time. Yagami's charisma is simply captivating. His intellect is also extremely impressive; not only are his assumptions about the school impressive, but he has also drawn various conclusions about me, the student council, and Nagumo.

I can only hope that he is also a more compassionate person than Nagumo. Right now, only one thing is certain: Light Yagami is dangerous. He's someone who mustn't fall into Nagumo's hands. He could be the final straw that breaks the camel's back for this school.

"Let's say you're correct. So what? What do you stand to gain from coming here and uncovering 'the truth'?" I ask him.

"Well, I like to think I gain something just from having this conversation with you in general. The outcome doesn't matter. Either way, don't I deserve to know why you're overlooking qualified first years in your search for student council members? Isn't that only fair?" Yagami responds, clenching his fist in a voice that made me question my actions so far.

He's difficult to read. I can't even tell if his initial statement was a threat to expose his hypothesis to the rest of the school. His articulation would lead me to believe he's merely intrigued by this topic in general, but his choice of words suggests otherwise. Troublesome.

At that moment, while I was pondering my response, Yagami pulled his phone out of his pocket and slid it across the meeting room table. "I see there aren't any surveillance cameras in this meeting room, so I want you to understand that I have no intention of causing you any harm or leaking any information from here. Whatever decision you make in this room, I will respect it. If you're having a hard time trusting me, that's my phone right there. You can check it. I'm not recording anything. And you can also search me if that isn't enough." Yagami said, standing from his seat and walking towards Tachibana, extending his arms.

Caught off guard by this sudden turn of events, Tachibana looked back at me, her confusion evident as if asking me what she should do.

"That won't be necessary. Just take a seat," I respond, and he does as I say, now seating himself much closer than he previously was.

"I'd rather not delve into the specifics, but you're correct. I have reasons for not allowing first years into the student council, and they're related to Nagumo," I admit.

"President!" Tachibana exclaims in surprise, to which I simply raise my hand in response.

"I had assumed that the student council held significant power in this school, but if you're going to such lengths to weaken its power to restrain Nagumo, it must be even more influential than I had imagined," Yagami responds.

"That's not the whole story. I'm concerned that first-year students who are new to this school and can easily be influenced might sympathize with his cause, leaving a lasting impact on this school," I explain to Yagami, who gives me a puzzled look.

"With all due respect, President, weren't you and your peers the same when you first came to this school? I'm sure your ideas and perspectives were influenced by your seniors," Yagami counters.

In a way, he was undeniably correct. My peers and I had certainly been influenced by the existing school culture, but "this is different. While I disagree with what Nagumo wants to do, it's not inherently a bad idea. He wishes to overhaul the school's competitive class environment and turn this school into more of a meritocracy. But the problem with his ideas are the implications. If he succeeds, it won't just be a change in the core functions of the school. No, it will lead to unavoidable expulsions for dozens of students."

"Manabu, please be careful. You could get in trouble," Tachibana warns me, obviously worried. Probably because I was discussing the school system with Light, something upperclassmen are prohibited from doing.

"I understand now," Yagami says, his eyes widening in realization and his demeanor changing. He seemed upset, or maybe disappointed? "That's terrible. To needlessly crush the aspirations of all those students who came to this school… You could theoretically have an entire three classes worth of excellent students, but under his system, there would still be expulsions because only those who stand out will pass. It's wrong. Can you stop him?"

His question seemed sincerely asking and pleading at the same time. It wasn't the reaction I'd expect from a first-year after hearing that information, especially one who would be considered extraordinary under Nagumo's system. Was this some sort of act?

"You seem to have strong feelings on this topic," I respond.

"How could I not? We're talking about the future of my peers," Yagami responds.

"I'm not sure if I can handle him," I admit with a sigh. "I only learned the full extent of his plans recently."

I confessed my uncertainty, not because it wouldn't significantly affect me, but to gauge Light's reaction. I wanted to see if he would try to insert himself into the situation or offer to help me, anything to understand him better and determine if he is genuinely a good character or if he is pretending. But throughout this time, he simply sat in silence, his gaze fixed on the table.

"Would you consider joining the student council to help combat Nagumo?" I asked, attempting to probe him further.

In response, I received a peculiar look. "Of course, I'd like to join the student council, but what does that have to do with opposing Nagumo? Regardless of whether I'm in the student council or not, I can oppose Nagumo. But for now, there's no point in drawing attention to myself. The most I can do at the moment is protect my classmates until I'm in a position to oppose him."

His answer surprised me. I was certain he'd jump at the chance to join the student council. I had thought that could be his goal throughout this conversation, without any genuine concern for the topic of Nagumo, except for the potential leverage it gave him over me.

"I see, then I wish you luck in doing that," I responded, looking at Yagami.

"I was wondering if you could assist me with that. I would guess that the curriculum doesn't change much from year to year for each class, so I was wondering, since you're the student council president, I'm sure you've kept a copy of the tests and quizzes administered by the school and I'm sure you performed well on these tests. Would you sell me the first and second-year tests and quizzes to use them as study guides?" he asked.

I smiled at his questions. It seemed there were some things even a genius like this didn't know. "I have no problem providing you with the tests and quizzes for the first and second year. They may be hard to get from Nagumo's year once you get to your second year if he is still a problem then. However, you should know the school doesn't alter their tests or quizzes unless there are special circumstances that call for it. The tests for the past decade have apparently never changed."

"I see, that's great!" Yagami responded enthusiastically. "At least no one will be expelled for academic reasons any time soon." He let out a sigh of relief. "How much do you want for them?"

"I'll give them to you for free. It's not like it bothers me or I'm in dire need of points. Just give me a few days to get them to you, and while it wouldn't cause me any major problems, I'd prefer if you didn't tell anyone you got these documents from me," I told him.

"Don't worry; I have no intention of distributing the answers to the exams and quizzes to anyone," Yagami assures me, and I look at him, puzzled. "If in the future they find themselves in a situation where they have to answer something or take a test using their own abilities and have only ever cheated, they will undoubtedly fail. I've already learned that failure here means expulsion. So, I plan to use these questions as a basis to create a study guide with explanations and such and distribute them to the first years."

"All the first years?" I inquire.

"It's not like I'd be directly opposing my own class. I don't see what the problem is with helping others learn if they genuinely want to. That's not to say I don't plan to seriously compete with other classes, but the less damage done in the process, the better, right? Plus, if I'm handing out a study guide to everyone in my class, it's likely to get leaked, whether it be because it's shared with friends or if it's being sold for extra points to others."

"I suppose that would make sense," I respond to him.

"Then, thank you, President, for everything, the information and the exams. I apologize for having wasted your time, but I thought it was necessary," Yagami says, standing up.

"It's fine; I don't feel like my time has been wasted," I reply, and after exchanging a nod with Yagami, he exits the student council room.

"That was quick, but a lot happened," Tachibana comments and my previously smiling face turns serious as I nod.

"Tachibana, quickly, please bring me Light Yagami's student evaluation file," I request, and my words seem to catch her off guard.

"Really? You rarely take interest in other students and their evaluations," Tachibana responds.

"Well, he caught my eye. I want to see if there's anything I can learn about him," I explain.

Tachibana quickly retrieves the file for me, and within a minute, it's on the table in front of me.

Tachibana peers over my shoulder as I prepare to open it.

"Are you curious as well?" I ask, to which she simply nods. So, I open the folder.

Name: Light Yagami 

Class: First Year 1-C 

Date of Birth: 

February 28th

Evaluation: 

Academic Ability: A 

Intelligence: A 

Decision Making: A 

Physical Ability: A- 

Cooperativeness: A

Comments from the Interviewer:

Light Yagami is an exceptional student, embodying the qualities that most in Japan strive for. Coming from a family with a police background, he has demonstrated a strong sense of justice and a commitment to doing what's right. His academic and physical abilities, which could easily qualify him for Class A or B, are something many could only dream of. Our impressions of Light Yagami are extremely high, and his interview was flawless.

The only issue is that Yagami appears to be a detached individual. From multiple reports from all of Yagami's schools, while many value him, he doesn't seem to have any close friends or anyone he relies on, and his personality seems to be extremely detached, quickly and easily severing ties with those he knows. So, in reality, we have no idea what Light Yagami is truly like, only what he chooses to show those around him. He is unreadable and unpredictable.

For this reason, we don't believe he can be assigned to Class A. While we think that he would thrive in the social environment of Class B, it wouldn't result in him reaching his full potential as, socially, he has no equal. We believe Yagami would thrive in the chaotic environment of Class C, which allows for a mix of many different characters. In a class with such variety, we believe that under enough stress and pressure, Yagami's true potential can be reached, and he may be able to form some sort of attachment to his class or classmates if he is truly incapable of doing so when pressured to cooperate with numerous individuals of diverse backgrounds.

"Wow, how did he end up in Class C? Even considering their reasoning, I think he's superior to most in his year," Tachibana comments, then turns to me. "What do you think, Manabu?"

"I think the evaluators are misguided, but not for placing him in Class C. While I believe he belongs in Class A, I understand their reasoning. Given my analysis and if what the evaluators say is accurate, then it is true that Yagami is so talented that his true potential can only be realized in a stressful environment. But is it really possible to apply that much pressure to him? He seems to be breezing through the school with minimal effort at the moment. Even if there's a defect that justifies placing him in a lower class, his overall ability makes it irrelevant," I say, continuing to examine the paper in my hand. "At least it's likely that his sense of justice isn't an act. Tachibana, for now, I want you to keep an eye on any news about Light Yagami. There should be plenty of it, especially in the near future."

"Alright," Tachibana responds, nodding.

Perhaps the student council will accept a first-year after all, but I need to treat this matter with care.

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Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter I had fun writing it. when I write certain characters i try to keep in mind they are geniuses who wouldn't be tricked in a simple manner or tactic which i tried to make sure of here with light interacting with Manabu. i do this because i notice in other fics a lot of the plans that work really shouldn't so i try to avoid that and lean towards more well thought out or longer term plans i don't know if you guys can tell from this or my other fanfic (the L one).

And I've seen many comments on how light should be in class a or b and yes your right manga or anime light would be in class a but remember this is supposed to be a more evil light whos mostly just acting or keeping up his persona that and i like the environment of class c in general.

Give me your opinions on all this and whats occurred so far and maybe even what should occur in the future.