Vol. 4 Ch. 2 Ep. 7: Coup d'etat

The next item on the agenda is determining the level of punishment for the Kaiser Corporation and its executives for exploiting a disaster to spark a civil war and seize the authority of the General Student Council.

Normally, this would have been a top priority for the General Student Council and the Board of Administration once they were back in session.

However, due to the destruction of many of D.U.'s communications and logistics facilities during the recent events, discussions on this matter have been postponed while we prioritize the restoration of D.U. for the safety and well-being of our citizens.

Thank you for the clarification.

As you mentioned, the Kaiser Corporation led a group of private soldiers in an attempt to seize control of the Sanctum Tower and use the ancient weapon they had unearthed.

Although we managed to prevent the situation from escalating with the help of Schale's Sensei and student council members from various districts, it's essential to recognize the potential consequences.

...If we had failed to stop them, not only would the General Student Council have collapsed, but Kivotos itself would have been in grave danger.

This entire attempt was only possible because the Kaiser Corporation is a mega-corporation with influence in everything from defense to logistics.

To ensure that such an incident is never repeated, I believe it's crucial to impose the most severe punishment on the Kaiser Corporation and its executives.

Wait a minute. While it's true that the Kaiser Corporation used private soldiers to forcefully take over the General Student Council...

We can hardly ignore the fact that Chief Officer Rin's unilateral activation of the Emergency Response Committee just before the incident caused chaos within the Council.

But the reason we weren't present that day was due to the motion to censure Rin...

Moreover! There are reports suggesting that Chief Officer Rin was seen riding in one of the ancient weapons unearthed by the Kaiser Corporation...

...In fact, isn't it possible that Chief Officer Rin was somehow involved with the Kaiser Corporation in this matter?

That's quite a serious accusation...

I understand that there might be suspicions surrounding this case, but let's remember that there are established procedures and protocols for handling such matters.

If a resolution of accountability is passed and an investigation into the Kaiser Corporation is initiated, you can count on me to fully cooperate with the investigation.

*whisper* Hey, Aoi... How many hours has this meeting been going on? Did we miss lunch already?

It's been 8 hours, 32 minutes, and 15 seconds since we began.

But we still have three more items on the agenda, so just eat your onigiri.

Endurance meetings like this are fairly typical for the Board of Administration, aren't they?

Onigiri? What onigiri? Hey, Aoi. You didn't give me any onigiri.

Wasn't it Rin who gave Schale's Sensei the extra-judicial powers in the first place?

Even though it was in a memo from the General Student Council President, we couldn't even verify if the memo was authentic...

We have been through this. The memo is undoubtedly from the General Student Council President.

If necessary, we can confirm its authenticity through handwriting analysis...

Chief Officer, this is besides the point! There are established procedures for everything!

Ignoring the decisions of the Board of Administration, even if you're the acting General Student Council president, is unacceptable!

I have always followed rules and procedures exactly as written out, but...

*whisper* Hey, Sumomo... Did you get onigiri?

*yawn* I'm too sleepy to eat right now...

No, not for you. I'm trying to ask if you took my share of onigiri.

Kaiser Corporation is a major player in Kivotos, and if they go under, it would be a catastrophe worse than the tower incident.

With Kaiser Industries, Kaiser Construction, and Kaiser Convenience all going bankrupt, unemployment would skyrocket.

Who will take responsibility for that, Chief Officer?

Given the influence of Kaiser Corporation, I believe a fine to assist with clean-up and restoration will suffice.

Hey, Momoka... Are you hungry?

You're not getting any of my tarako-flavored chips, no matter how much you beg. So don't even try it.

Go get some onigiri or something. Just don't touch my chips.

No, I'm trying to tell you that I never got any onigiri!

I don't believe further discussion will be productive at this time.

Chief Officer, I think everyone will benefit from some fresh air. Let's adjourn for today and reconvene later.

Understood.

Since it's getting late, we'll close the meeting and resume tomorrow.

Thank you, everyone.

Phew...

I thought I was prepared for how difficult that was going to be...

Thank you for your work, Chief Officer.

Ah, Chief of Defense.

Thank you. You as well.

Was there anything the matter? How are you doing?

I just wanted to stop by and let you know I think you killed it!

You flatter me.

I've thought this before, but they're totally out of line.

Practically all they use their mouths for are to gossip about you or talk about themselves.

Being a leader and having to make decisions based on so many differing opinions isn't easy.

I can't blame them though. I'm responsible for this situation too.

I just have to be patient and convince them one by one.

But...do you really need to though?

You're the chief officer of General Management, but you're also the acting General Student Council president.

You could make things so much easier for yourself by using your authority to make the other chairs say yes.

But authority...

It's like a double-edged sword, Chief of Defense.

It might seem like a quick fix, but its value dwindles the more you rely on it.

I can't use my authority to suppress others' voices just because they disagree with me.

Honestly, I'm not even sure about myself...

*sigh*

...As I suspected, you might not be cut out for the whole president thing.

...

What are you saying, Chief of Defense?

Rin. Truly, I've never liked you.

You're nothing like the President, but you had all her favor...

And look at you. Even after she's gone, you're still trying to do right by her. You're the president, and you're still listening to everyone around you and harping about procedures...

Your maddening, centrist approach won't solve anything.

Kivotos can only be fixed by a superhuman.

Chief Kaya. The General Student Council President is missing, and her seat is vacant.

My role as the chief officer is to protect and preserve that seat during her absence.

Oh... Is that so?

Funnily enough, I stumbled upon something interesting in Schale's basement during the recent incident.

A secret letter from the General Student Council President that has never been made public.

A secret letter...?

According to the letter, the President wanted the Chief of Defense to take charge in the event of an emergency, not the Chief Officer.

In other words, the person who should have been the acting president during her absence was never Nanagami Rin. It was always intended to be Shiranui Kaya.

What nonsense are you saying right now?

Now then. Why was a letter with such an important message secretly hidden in Schale's basement?

Yes, hidden in Schale's basement... In a building, coincidentally enough, that only Chief Officer Nanagami Rin had access to when the General Student Council President disappeared.

And, to further the coincidences, is it not you, Chief Officer Rin, who has the most to gain by the concealment of this document?

This is ridiculous. Do you really think people would just believe the letter's authenticity without proof?

I'll have a handwriting appraisal done, as well as an analysis of the signature. That should be no problem if the General Student Council wrote that letter.

Certainly, verifying the document's authenticity is crucial. Just like with the note found in the president's office.

Ah. I would consider your current standing in the Council. How many members do you think will believe you? Hm?

Kaya. You...

Chief Officer Nanagami Rin, you are under emergency arrest for concealing official documents and abusing authority.

Pursuant to Article 78 of the General Student Council Executive Regulations, your duties as acting General Student Council president are automatically suspended until the investigation concludes.

But in the interim, I suppose we'll need a new acting president, now won't we?

You've planned this from the very start.

If the president returns, she won't forgive you for this.

And if she does return, I look forward to seeing her reaction to your absolute failure in her absence.

...

Now, please respectfully escort the Chief Officer to her dormitory. Place her under twenty-four hour house arrest and surveillance.

Yes, ma'am!

...Director of Human Resources. How are things with the protests around the General Student Council building?

I was actually just about to reach out to you about that.

We've assembled many students to protest the Transportation Office and Regulatory Committee's weak response to the many incidents at public facilities recently.

I thought I would need to hire them, but they surprisingly just volunteered.

Maybe it's because they were our students, but they seemed very excited, talking about transportation technology or something.

Of course, none of this would have been possible without your intel, Chief of Defense.

There was a lot of information that would've been hard to grasp unless you were there... I was curious how you gathered all this data.

...Will this insipid curiosity of yours help you complete your task in any way?

O-Oh, no... I didn't mean to pry...

A-Anyway, to report! Angry students are protesting in front of the building, so even if you're a neutral board member not interested in factionalism, it won't look good for Chief Officer Rin.

I'm sure most would be in favor if we held a vote of no confidence.

Great job, and stay vigilant in managing the protesters.

Haine, what about the letters you were supposed to send to the sports federations?

I sent it right away, just like you asked!

Well... Not exactly right away...

I was so hungry after the meeting that I stopped by the kitchen to grab a bite to eat...

...You don't need to report every little thing like that.

So? How is the sports industry reacting?

They usually take a pretty hard line against cheating and manipulation, so everyone was pretty disappointed to hear that Chief Officer Rin had falsified official documents for her own gain.

Is it true that the FOX Squad that raided the General Student Council the other day was also funded by Chief Officer Rin? It did seem like they were in a rush to shut down SRT Academy...

Of course. If that's all, I'm going to hang–

By the way, those foxes can really give it to you, huh? They put me in a reverse key lock as soon as I grabbed their shoulders! I bet they got training in martial arts submissions at SRT too...

...

I should have tapped out then... My shoulder might never recover from that last attack...

...Haine, I'm hanging up.

Yeah, yeah. Wait, but this is really important. I was supposed to get an onigiri earlier and I want to know who–

At least I can put our concerns about the no-confidence votes to rest.

And lastly...

...Protocol Team?

Yes, I need you to draft an emergency statement right away.

Also, reach out to the Kronos channel and the municipal stations. It'll take time to set up the cameras.

...The no-confidence vote shouldn't take long. The outcome is already set.

Yes, please help us stay on track.

...Ah, and we'll be welcoming a very special guest soon, so please be prepared.

Our guest's name is...

Sensei.