There were still a few days left before the BoB tournament.

The preliminaries had been scheduled for the weekend—truly a blessing for students.

After all, GGO was currently the game with the highest number of simultaneous players.

With its immense popularity and hype, the timing of the tournament had to consider when the most players could participate.

And so, Haruto finally returned to Sobu High.

But the moment he arrived at the school gates early that morning, he noticed two black, special-looking vehicles parked out front.

They didn't bear flashy brands.

Yet at a single glance, it was obvious they were extremely expensive.

The kind of cars that made ordinary people instinctively step aside, realizing that someone important must be inside.

And indeed—

The metal used for the car's body was among the most advanced alloys available today.

Even at only about 1.5 centimeters thick, ordinary rifle bullets wouldn't pierce it.

The one-way tinted windows were of military-grade bulletproof quality.

Even the paint job was a special coating capable of blocking conventional radar.

Haruto's gaze shifted to the license plate.

Something about it felt familiar.

After searching through his memory, he confirmed it:

These vehicles belonged directly to the government of Sakura Country.

And not just any faction—they were from the anti-conglomerate camp.

More specifically, they should be tied to the Ministry of Education.

Haruto only bothered remembering those with real power.

Which meant, whoever had come today, was someone capable of influencing national policy to a certain degree.

Of course, in the current climate—where the Shinomiya and Momobami conglomerates had stopped openly fighting—forces outside the zaibatsu didn't have much sway anymore.

If it weren't for the Foundation's rule of not interfering with non-anomalous organizations, Sakura Country would've long since become a one-party state under their control.

Pulling his thoughts back, Haruto frowned slightly.

Why would government officials show up at Sobu High?

"You actually came to school? Now that's surprising."

A teasing voice sounded behind him.

Haruto didn't even need to turn around to know it was Yukinoshita Yukino.

She was clearly still annoyed about him ditching the cultural festival.

The Service Club's activities had included him, yet he had run off.

Haruto didn't reply. Instead, he simply gestured with his eyes toward the black vehicles.

Yukino followed his gaze.

And just like him, she became puzzled.

So, curiosity piqued, Haruto decided to head straight for the principal's office to find out.

Yukino came along too.

As they arrived, they happened to see Hiratsuka-sensei stepping out.

"Shizuka-sensei," Haruto called.

The moment Hiratsuka heard his voice, her expression brightened noticeably—though she quickly smoothed it over and fixed him with a cold glare.

Her eyes practically said, "So you do remember this school exists!"

Haruto cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Shizuka-sensei, what's going on inside? Those cars outside don't look ordinary."

She shot him another withering look before regaining her usual calm.

"It's the Ministry of Education. They're here representing a certain high school, with an invitation for an academic exchange."

Haruto raised his brows.

The Ministry of Education? Representing a high school?

Which school could warrant this kind of presence?

It obviously wasn't Sobu they were here to negotiate with.

And as for the other two of the "Big Three"—Shuchiin and Hyakkaou—those weren't schools the Ministry could meddle with either.

As he thought it over, a possibility came to mind.

"…Is it Advanced Nurturing High School?"

The original site of Hoshinoumi Academy had been sold off.

At the time, the school had been preparing to relocate to Academy City anyway, so the proposal was easily accepted.

That purchase, as it turned out, had been used to establish Advanced Nurturing High School.

Back then, Haruto had been puzzled.

Japan's educational resources were already saturated.

Why would anyone try to enter the field now?

But looking at it again—it made sense.

It was the government stepping in directly, aiming to reshape educational policy and talent cultivation.

That reasoning was perfectly logical.

Hiratsuka gave Haruto a surprised glance, then nodded.

"That's right. It's called Advanced Nurturing High School. But how did you know?"

Haruto opened his mouth to explain—

But Hiratsuka shook her head.

"Forget it. With you, nothing's really surprising anymore."

She pointed toward the office.

"Those people want Sobu to send some of our outstanding graduates every year. They'd serve as first-year teaching assistants at Advanced Nurturing for one year. The purpose is supposedly to let exceptional talents instill strong study values in the students there."

Haruto arched a brow.

"I thought they'd be here to poach students."

After all, Sobu High gathered the best ordinary students across the nation.

If anyone wanted quick results, stealing Sobu's talent would be the fastest way.

"You're not wrong, Haruto-kun," Hiratsuka admitted. "But as principal, I couldn't possibly allow that."

Just then, the principal's office door opened.

Sobu's principal stepped out, looking helpless.

The three of them were still standing at the doorway talking.

Sobu wasn't like Shuchiin.

Its principal's office was nice, sure, but at the end of the day, it was still just a decent schoolroom.

The soundproofing wasn't nearly enough to block voices from outside.

And Haruto's earlier remark had been a little too on the nose.

Those Ministry officials had indeed come intending to steal students.

The principal had managed to talk them down, so they'd changed their proposal to "borrowing graduates."

Not that the idea was entirely unacceptable…

But it still left the principal feeling extremely uncomfortable.

Damn these Ministry parasites—always pestering Sobu!

If they had the guts, why not go bother Shuchiin or Hyakkaou instead!?

As one of the Big Three schools, the Sobu principal couldn't help but feel unfairly targeted.

Did he really have no say in anything?

If Haruto knew what he was thinking, he'd probably pat the man on the shoulder and say:

"You actually have it good. Over at Shuchiin and Hyakkaou, the principals don't get pushed around by outsiders—but inside their own schools, they're treated like dogs. Nobody respects them. If Kaguya Shinomiya's unhappy, the Shuchiin principal gets replaced on a whim. At Hyakkaou, it's even worse—the principal's basically drowning in debt…"

The office door opened wider.

Haruto leaned slightly, peeking inside past the principal.

There sat several familiar, yet not entirely familiar, faces.

Though Haruto hadn't met them personally, he recognized them from reports and photos.

They were indeed Japan's senior officials—those unaffiliated with the zaibatsu.

Yet the moment those relaxed, tea-drinking officials spotted Haruto peering in—

They froze.

Then, almost in unison, they all stood up abruptly.

"Haruto-san!"

The chorus was perfectly synchronized.

And then, they bowed deeply.

Sweat was already beading on their foreheads.

The Sobu principal stood there, dumbfounded.

What!?

What was happening!?

He had only opened the door because these officials had wanted outstanding graduates.

And with national exams still a while away, it was clear Haruto was the brightest among them.

So the principal had figured he might as well call Haruto over to express his stance.

But now—

His supposed superiors, men of high office, were reacting to his student like mice before a cat.

Even Hiratsuka was stunned.

She knew her student—her boyfriend—was remarkable.

But not this remarkable.

Yukinoshita, on the other hand, simply sneered.

Haruto pressed a hand to his forehead.

This was… troublesome.