Normality in COTE

Upon hearing Council President Horikita Manabu spout his hypocritical lines before the freshmen, YamaGod could barely stifle a yawn of boredom.

Manabu boasted about the school's supposed values of meritocracy and individual strength, but was this truly the case?

The irony wasn't lost on YamaGod—here was a man who preached about fairness and merit, yet he made sure his own sister as next year's Council President.

Despite her being a newcomer with shallow experience, she was given a position that could have gone to someone with a proven track record, like Ichinose Honami, who had committed herself to the Council Union and built a solid foundation.

Yes, someone with unremarkable qualifications was chosen as Council President by none other than her own brother.

How hypocritical, especially coming from someone who claims that individual strength is everything in this school!

Only the naïve or the spineless could swallow such shallow words.

No, here it wasn't strength or merit that determined success—it was nepotism, connections, and family ties.

Take Koenji, for instance. He had a steady stream of points flowing to him from upperclassmen simply because he was the heir to a conglomerate group. Anyone desperate for job security post-graduation was more than willing to shower him with their leftover points. That's the power of connections, not personal strength.

Suzune Horikita was chosen as next year's Council President not because of any demonstrated skill but because she was the sister of the current Council President. Her selection was pure nepotism; personal strength had nothing to do with it.

Even Kohei, a competent Class A leader with far more qualifications, was turned down when he applied for the council.

Why?

Because, as Manabu claimed, he wouldn't accept first-years into the council—unless, of course, that first-year happened to be his sister's friend.

And yet, his hypocrisy didn't end there; upon noticing Ayanokouji's closeness with Suzune, he broke his own rule and offered Ayanokouji a council seat, bending the standards he himself had set.

And then there's Arisu Sakayanagi.

Sure, she might have the strength and qualifications to lead Class A, but does Kohei not?

Yet, with hardly any effort, she effortlessly dominates because of who she is—the principal's daughter.

Anyone who dared challenge her knew it would only lead to disastrous consequences.

The bald guy in her class understood this unspoken rule; he didn't dare go all out against her, allowing her to assert total dominance within a short time.

Here, strength, ingenuity, and talent are mere trifles to those who hold the power to set the rules, who can flip the entire board on a whim.

Horikita Manabu stands as a shining example of this.

He twists the rules to his benefit whenever it suits him, and somehow he remains morally righteous in the eyes of others, all while basking in the glow of favoritism and nepotism.

But here's the kicker: this is all cleverly disguised as the "power of friendship" in politically correct terms.

The protagonist and his harem always come out on top, and the audience couldn't care less about the means or the people trampled underfoot along the way.

To them, this isn't nepotism—it's just the power of friendship and harem.

That's why he hated political correctness and anyone who used rules as a shield to insult those they deemed morally inferior.

They always preach, preach, and preach, thinking themselves morally superior to us, yet we see them for what they truly are—sanctimonious hypocrites.

They expect us to follow the rules, to ensure our actions are ethically pure, yet what do they do?

They engage in blatant nepotism, abuse of power, and hypocrisy by breaking every rule they demand we uphold.

It's irony at its finest, isn't it?

They're supposed to lead by example, simply by following the very rules they enforce. But how many of them truly adhere to them?

They demand that we comply, that we conform to their standards—yet they have the audacity to shatter those standards at will!

If it weren't for his Power of Normality, he'd have walked out of this school already.

Screw this place.

He loathed it with a passion.

What should have been a bastion of merit, a place where personal strength mattered above all, had become a corrupt playground for nepotism and power abuse.

Since they don't follow the rules, then he'd repay them in kind—no rules for him, either.

He clenched his fists, making a silent vow.

Resisting the urge to unleash his Normality Power and turn everyone in this school into his puppets, he turned his head and walked away.

But this was only the beginning.

His rage over the injustice, the utter wrongness of this place, had awakened something darker, something vengeful and raw inside him.

His heart pounded, his sense of morality slipping as his restraints fell away, layer by layer.

Now, this school would become his playground.

Women, power, influence—they would all belong to him.

He would rule this place.

His Normality Power made it all possible.

Those who once ruled unchecked, who thought they were untouchable, wouldn't have the strength to resist him.

They'd get what they deserved for deceiving us.

No one would betray him. No one would dare trick him. And if they tried, they'd pay the price. He would twist their common sense, bending them to his will.

He dared them to lie, to deceive, to oppose him.

In return, he'd make them understand the futility of it all in the face of true power.

Their connections, identities, and influence meant nothing before him.

They'd been playing their game for far too long, but now it was time for Haruki Yamauchi to step in.

And he would play better than all of them combined.

Nothing and no one would stand in his way.

Not Manabu, not Ayanokouji, not even Arisu herself.

No one.

"Hey, you!" A cold female voice from behind broke his train of thought, and his darkened expression loosened slightly as he turned, casting a calm gaze toward the source of the interruption.

"You... I see you seem to hate the Council President so much. Why?!" Her tone turned accusatory as he recognized who stood behind him.

He recognized the voice almost instantly; it belonged to none other than Suzune Horikita, who now stood before him, arms folded tightly as she scrutinized him.

A smirk played on his lips as he thought, What a pleasant coincidence, Suzune. Let's see just how far that brother of yours can protect you from me.

He couldn't help but feel an intense thrill in the pit of his stomach. I wonder how long you'll be able to keep that haughty expression in front of me—or how much longer your brother's carefully controlled facade will hold once he hears just what kind of twisted devotion you've surrendered to me.

His calm expression morphed into a wicked grin, his eyes narrowing with a devilish glint. Oh yes, let the games begin. It all starts with you, Horikita.

You would be the first to take your place in my grand performance, marking my first step toward ruling this school.

He began to approach her, his presence menacing yet controlled, while Suzune's icy, unyielding gaze followed him with an almost defiant chill.

Yet, unbeknownst to her, her own arrogance would soon turn against her.

She made a grave mistake by underestimating him, and she didn't notice the subtle softening of her own expression as soon as he uttered the word "normal" in her presence.

She seemed almost hypnotized, even taking the initiative to reach out and hold his arm as the tense, hostile atmosphere between them dissolved into something far more intimate.

She clung to him, pressing closer like a cat craving the attention of its master, subtly rubbing her body against his arm.

He smirked, savoring the irony.

Yes, it's normal for you to treat me even better than you treat Horikita Manabu, isn't it, Suzune?

To put me above him?

It's so… normal, isn't it?

Haruki Yamauchi's wicked grin widened as he reveled in the outcome, satisfied with the first steps of his twisted plan.