"Ambition. The will to claw your way to the top, no matter what. I recognized that in you. Ambition is the foundation of effort and growth. It's crucial for anyone who wants to be a leader." He glanced at you briefly. This is where you struggled. He often had told you that you lacked ambition. But why would you need it when you were born into power? "And it's the thing you and I have in common. To be honest, I did, at the time, feel something close to an affinity towards you."

"Kaede-senpai!" She looked at him with doe-eyes

"However, you didn't have the guts or competence to realize your ambitions. You were in over your head. Competence equals results. As a loser, it's something you lack. Give it up. You're not qualified to walk the high road." He put a hand on his chin as you covered your mouth at the severity in which he was talking to her with. You thought he must be proving to you that he held no feelings for her, but it felt like overkill. "I know. I don't mind negotiating to get you back on the student council, if you realize what you're capable of, there should be a use for you. I'll even talk to the Princess."

Like hell. You shook your head at him. Not happening.

"What do you say?" He asked.

"I--" Itsuki began, but was interrupted by Yumeko.

"Oh my. That's an odd choice of words." She held her face straight. "Not only does the Princess not talk to you, but you say that Itsuki is incompetent? What on Earth gives you the right to decide such a thing? Even if that were true, why would that be a reason for her to give up her ambition?

"Because it's for her own good." Kaede answered coolly. "No matter how hard an incompetent person tries, they can't produce results. She'll only make the situation worse. Those efforts are worth nothing. She's better off giving up."

"I don't know about that. Itsuki can decide what her own worth is." Holding a hand out, Yumeko blushed at the stunned girl. "Itsuki. In order to acquire something, you must first offer something to show good faith. Athletes give up their youth to devote themselves to practice and businessmen offer collateral to borrow money. In order to realize one's ambition, you must take on some risk. The bigger your ambition, the greater the risk. That might mean time or the kind of effort that shaves years off your life. This time, it only happens to be money. Now, then..."

Yumeko stood up and flung her arms out to the side dramatically.

"Please make your choice! Either take the safe route, or strive for the summit by risking destruction! The choice is yours and yours alone! What do you say Itsuki?" She held her hand out.

All the while, Kaede was thinking back to when he first met Itsuki, and how he had arrived in this entire mess in the first place. Why had he even decided to sleep with her in the first place?