"Hmm..."

Gardner stopped in front of the Newspaper Club.

Then, he just stood there silently, glaring at the room.

Seeing Gardner like that, Apophis instinctively shrank back.

She wasn't embarrassed about being part of the Newspaper Club. Joining it was always a source of pride for her.

But... the notebook she held close.

The notebook was filled with so-called exclusives. Showing it would be dangerous.

'I’ve noted down a lot of Gardner’s secrets... If they’re discovered, I won't get away with it.'

Worried that Gardner might search her belongings, Apophis quickly stuffed the notebook deeper into her coat.

She squirmed around to conceal it, much like a larva would.

Apophis was desperately trying to hide it.

Just then, a tense silence settled momentarily.

Gardner finally spoke.

"Well, I’ll take my leave here."

"Oh, uh..."

"Unless you were hoping for more support..."

"No, no! I can walk just fine on my own!"

Apophis enthusiastically insisted, fearing that Gardner might change his mind.

Gardner watched her intently before turning around.

Then, he hurriedly walked out of sight.

'I thought I was done for...'

Apophis let out a sigh of relief.

When she saw Gardner grimacing at the sight of the Newspaper Club, she honestly thought she was in big trouble and got quite scared.

Now, it seemed like it was just needless worry.

'I haven't done anything to get caught!'

Apophis quickly entered the club room with hurried steps.

'There's no need to crush the Newspaper Club right away.'

Although they sometimes produce strange gossip...

They haven't caused any significant harm so far, right?

I thought there was no need to make them enemies just yet.

'If they were to turn their pens against us, then things would change.'

The Newspaper Club.

They represent the media.

Why is the media frightening?

Because, if they choose, they can control the public.

That's why the media is terrifying.

If the Newspaper Club were to wield their pens to incite the public against the Disciplinary Committee...

'That would be awful...'

Fortunately, the Newspaper Club only consists of delusional individuals.

Since there's no actual propagandist capable of swaying the public, there's nothing significant to worry about.

"Still... just in case..."

I took out my terminal and sent messages to a few people who could respond quickly in case of an emergency.

[Detected disrespectful movement from the Newspaper Club. Please monitor the next publication closely.]

"I guess I should start preparing to receive the medal."

I'm not quite sure why they're giving me a medal, though.

"Why is Gardner receiving a medal?"

The Student Council President muttered.

It was purely a question of curiosity, with no intention of undermining Gardner's achievements.

Everyone in the room understood this.

The Vice Student Council President voiced the thoughts of many:

“As a first-year freshman, isn’t it an impressive achievement? It might not be strange to receive a medal.”

“After resolving three major incidents, yeah, he deserves a medal, but it’s nothing too extraordinary... The real question is, why are they giving a medal now, when it’s never been awarded before until this moment?”

The timing that the Student Council President referred to:

It was the period when a proposal was sent to make the Academy the forefront of operations.

The Student Council President’s suspicions were clear:

“Is the reason for awarding the medal a strategy to push the Academy to the frontline?”

The ‘medal’ could be likened to...

A chess piece on the board without a place to move, left idle.

If the piece had been active like the others, it might have been overlooked.

However, it’s a piece that hadn’t found a place to move for years.

If it started moving, it’s because a suitable spot was found, right?

Especially now, when a division is threatening the Academy with a sword, pushing it onto the battlefield.

“In this situation, finding a place to move means…”

The sudden appearance of a piece with unknown intentions was a significant threat.

“What could be the intention behind moving this medal?”

A medal is usually a peaceful piece, with no need for special caution, so it would typically be left alone on the board.

But given the current circumstances…

The one who controls this medal:

The 5th Division Commander.

That’s a situation where they have drawn their sword towards the Academy.

This is clearly a deliberate move, and it can’t be ignored.

The Student Council President was troubled.

What could it be, what is that medal aiming for?

“Could it be an attempt to threaten Gardner? No, that doesn’t make sense.”

“It’s a meaningless action.”

“Right, threatening Gardner would only taint their reputation. In chess terms, it would be a blunder.”

A blunder.

In chess, it refers to making a move that is highly disadvantageous to oneself.

This is not a situation where such a move would occur.

The Student Council President pondered further to clarify her thoughts.

“The division is not in a good situation... Does the Central Government know about this?”

“They should know, but...”

“It seems the Central Government is not providing support, right?”

For some reason, the Central Government had not been sending support supplies to the 5th Division, even though they were struggling at the front line. This was easily inferred from the division's frequent complaints of distress.

“The Central Government is neither corrupt nor incompetent... There’s no way they wouldn’t send supplies to a division fighting at the front line... So why does the division keep complaining of hardships?”

“Could it be that they’re faking it?”

“The division?”

Feigning illness.

“For what purpose? To get more supplies? Doing so would only earn the Central Government’s resentment.”

“Perhaps... they’ve already earned it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Maybe the Central Government is withholding support because the division has already earned their resentment.”

“Earned the Central Government’s resentment?”

“Yes, if the division has been faking illness regularly...”

“Hmm...”

The Student Council President let out a thoughtful hum.

Since it was a plausible scenario, she decided to lay the situation out more clearly.

“The division might have been submitting false reports to receive more resources from the Central Government, which, having realized the deception, stopped sending supplies.”

“Yes, and now the Central Government might still think the division is feigning it and so continues to withhold resources. Without the resources, they’re looking to recruit from the Academy to minimize their losses.”

“So, are we now... being held as hostages in negotiations with the Central Government? It wouldn’t make any sense.”

The Central Government didn’t seem to care much about the Academy. But why…

As she searched for a reason, the Student Council President raised her head.

“Are they just treating it as something they can't fully utilize but don't want to discard either?”

“That could be the case.”

“It would certainly be a waste to pass the Academy off to the division as ordinary soldiers…”

The Student Council President summarized the discussion.

“Assuming the Academy is now part of the negotiation table for supply support between the Central Government and the division, then… what’s the significance of awarding a medal?”

“It's probably to justify something, isn’t it?”

“To justify... Can awarding medals to the Academy alone justify conscription of the Academy?”

“In normal situations, it would be impossible. Sure, if you send Academy cadets to the battlefield, they would perform at the level of regular soldiers. But as you know, the expectations for the Academy are far beyond that.”

Why was the Academy established?

Its goal was to train elite soldiers, more than just typical soldiers.

Utilizing such individuals as mere soldiers would be like killing the goose that lays golden eggs.

Surely, there are some who would object to that.

“It's the crisis facing the division and the existence of the medal awardees that help dilute such objections.”

“Hmm…”

The Student Council President understood what the Vice Student Council President meant.

“By intimidating the Central Government and the public with the threat of the front line collapsing, then introducing the Academy’s medal awardees…”

“It exaggerates the Academy's capabilities, making it seem like they can save the day.”

The Vice Student Council President continued.

“If many start calculating benefits and realize that pushing the Academy to the front line alongside the division is cheaper than letting the division handle the situation alone... they’ll want to rush the Academy to the battlefield immediately.”

Although it’s just an exaggeration. Deploying the Academy would mean losing the goose that lays golden eggs.

“If that happens... it's a serious issue.”

The Student Council President pulled out her Unique Armament to confirm the facts.

The Unique Armament resembled a pamphlet.

The Student Council President took out some astrological tools from it.

Then, she used them to see if the discussion they've had so far was accurate, and the result was:

"It’s almost spot-on."

With this, it seemed wise to consider it as fact. The Student Council President leaned back in her chair.

‘Now, the chessboard is finally clear.’

The pieces that merely stood there like fools.

‘Medal’

This was the final piece to complete the division's strategy. If she hadn't doubted it…

If the Vice Student Council President hadn’t been there…

They would have ended up in checkmate without even realizing it.

Checkmate.

Just knowing it was only a move away sent chills down her spine.

The Student Council President and the Vice Student Council President quickly continued their discussion on the current situation.

"The only way to resolve this is… by making the first move."

The upcoming midterm evaluation of abilities.

They would minimize the assessment of the entire Academy cadets there.

To prevent the Central Government and the public from believing the division's announcement.

"Let’s conduct the midterm evaluation starting from tomorrow."

"But Gardner won't be able to participate..."

"Make sure Gardner is placed at the very top of the rankings."

"Excuse me?"

"A cadet who's received a medal can't be in the lower ranks. Just make him first."

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