348 1.2

After school, I slipped out of the class where we had started discussing and arrived at my destination almost exactly on time. I thought I would knock on the door immediately, but I could hear loud voices from within the room as if people were arguing a little inside. However, since we were separated by a thick door, I couldn't hear what exactly they were saying to each other.

If I kept my ears open for a while, I might've been able to hear them clearly, but the time of the appointment was approaching, so I quickly discarded the option of eavesdropping.

"...Thanks."

I was at the student council office at the time I was instructed to be there. It seemed that two male students were already sitting in the student council room, and one of them immediately stood up.

"I'm sorry for calling you out, Ayanokouji."

"It's fine, but it makes me a little nervous when the student council president and vice president are so poised."

I said something that a typical student might've said.

"I'm sorry, but you don't look nervous to me."

Nagumo, still seated, crossed his legs and bent his index finger to signal the other to close the distance between them.

Kiriyama stood slightly behind Nagumo and moved into a position where he could be easily seen.

At that moment, he looked at the screen of the cell phone he took out of his pocket.

However, in less than a second, he turned off the screen light and put it back in where it came from.

The next person to open his mouth was not Nagumo, the student council president, but Kiriyama, the vice president.

"After this, he also called up student council members Horikita and Ichinose," he said.

"Horikita and Ichinose?"

It's either a coincidence, or they intentionally brought up the names of the two second-year students in the student council.

"There's no need to be so hasty, Kiriyama… Ayanokouji might want to have a little chat with you too..."

"I'm sorry, but it doesn't look that way to me."

I felt gratitude in my heart for Vice President Kiriyama's sound judgment.

"Besides, I have some things I want to do to prepare for the next special exam."

"Special exam? There will be no more special exams during the second semester for us third-year students. Besides, isn't this none of your business since

I've already decided who'll win?"

Nagumo looked at Kiriyama quizzically, not understanding why.

"Still. You always want to be prepared for the unexpected. More third-year students than you think are eagerly waiting for their ticket to the top. What if one of them tries to take your head off?"

"Those idiots have already fallen. There's no one left to fight."

"I hope so."

The third-year students didn't have much time left.

With Nagumo holding all the power, they must somehow get the ticket to 20 million points, and they were still fighting that battle.

It was no wonder that Nagumo was optimistic that he had no enemies. Since

he had all the necessary tickets, it was impossible for anyone to go against him, including Kiriyama, who risked being deprived of his ticket to victory if he didn't follow Nagumo's orders.

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In other words, those who hadn't been given a ticket weren't bound by the same restrictions.

It'd be a bit of an exaggeration to say that they can expel Nagumo from the school and accumulate private points from there… No. Even if that were the case, I'm not sure that's worth it.

If Nagumo was expelled from school, his huge sum of private points would probably go to the school's safe. Nagumo couldn't protect himself without such a contract.

Except for Nagumo's private points, the number of private points collected in just the third semester would only be enough to save one or two people at most. "Do you have any idea what you're talking about, Kiriyama? Kiriyama… you've been poking me all morning, haven't you?"

"I'm not going to stop now, no matter what you say, because I'm not going to stand still on this matter."

Am I wrong? Nagumo seemed to have smiled and nodded at the confirmation that had such pressure in his voice.

"I'm sorry, Kiriyama, but this is a personal decision I have to make while I'm still in school."

"Then I hope you can understand my desire to get this over with."

There was a bit of arguing going on in the student council room before I entered.

Nagumo's comment about Kiriyama being on his case since this morning certainly indicated that this wasn't something that Kiriyama welcomed. No, perhaps it's the same for me.

"Okay, okay. I'll keep the chit-chat to a minimum. Is that okay?" Nagumo confirmed with Kiriyama that there was no choice but to keep the chit-chat going.

"I've got one more case to attend to after this, another student council case, so by all means, give me a minute."

"You said you had something to tell me. All right, let's make this quick."

In the end, Kiriyama agreed, and Nagumo began what he considered necessary chit-chat.

"You second-years seem to be in an unusually tight race, aren't you?"

"It seems so."

"In our generation and Horikita-senpai's generation, Class A stood as the sole winner by the middle of the second year. I'm a little envious that you can enjoy it until this time of the year."

In the past, it was said that the class battles were usually settled by the end of the freshman year to the middle of the sophomore year, with a large difference in class points.

The class that started the year in Class A graduated ahead of those in Class B and below.

There were some rare cases like Student Council President Nagumo and

others, where Class B switched to Class A, but in any case, by the middle of the sophomore year, Class A was in a commanding position.

On the other hand, there remains a point difference that allows for a comeback even for class D.

"It looks like there's a chance for each of the four classes, but that'll probably only remain until the final exam," he said.

"That's what I'm thinking too. Two or, at most, three classes will be competing for Class A seats."

Nagumo and Kiriyama both made the judgment without hesitation. "The final exam for the second-year students will be such a fierce battle." "Yeah. The exams are completely different, of course, but the results are mostly always disastrous. Last year, I was in control of the second-years at the time of the finals and had control over the exams. I tried to keep the wounds to a minimum, but three students still dropped out."

He said that despite his efforts to prevent it, there were unavoidable casualties.

"There was a way to prevent any expulsions, but we had to weigh the loss of class points and private points against the gain."

This story may be true, but it may or may not be helpful.

It was unlikely that the end-of-year exams we'd take would be the same as those that Nagumo and the older generations experienced. However, the scale will be roughly the same. This was something that we could naturally see through our experience with our school life so far.

"That's enough of this idle talk. It's time to get down to business, Nagumo." Kiriyama urged him calmly, and Nagumo cowered his shoulders and showed his white teeth.

"It's time for me to finish my role as the student council president. But before that, we need to decide who'll be the next president."

"In terms of office length, you've already been in office longer than the previous presidents, haven't you?"

Manabu Horikita to Nagumo Miyabi. The student council president's baton should've been passed a little earlier.

I also remembered that Nagumo himself said that he would extend his office's term.

"We were going to have the term extended, but we were approached several

times by the school. They said that if we put it off too long, we'd be denying the juniors the opportunity to get some experience. Well, they have a point." "All the third-year students have already completed their roles in the student council, except for me and Nagumo, and all the procedures have been completed." So all that was left was to decide who would be the next student council president and then these two would be out of office.

I see. So Nagumo has decided to give up his position as the student council president.

That would explain why he was calling both of the names mentioned earlier. Suzune or Honami. They had to decide who was more suitable to be the next student council president.

"You have the authority to appoint the student council president, Nagumo, don't you?"

"Yes. I have that right."

"Then shouldn't you be talking to Horikita and Ichinose instead of me?" I told him the obvious, but he seemed to be well aware of it since he didn't seem surprised by my response.

"It would be a waste of time to make a decision like that, wouldn't it?"

"Considering I was invited here… Well, I can guess."

"You and I are going to decide who's going to be the next student council president."

"That's more than just cheering for me, isn't it?"

"I've been thinking about various ways to compete with you, but this should work. Horikita and Ichinose have been here for two years, like you. I'm sure you have as much information as we do."

It was understandable that Nagumo, who didn't have much time left, would like to see the fight settled as soon as possible.

Nagumo didn't believe that this was the ideal way to fight. Still, he must've decided that it was better than no showdown at all. "There's still a way to postpone it. I wouldn't be surprised if there's a special exam like last year's mixed training camp, where students are paired with and compete against other grades."

"Well, when the time comes, we can call this a preliminary encounter." Not one to put things off, Nagumo tried to keep Ichinose and Horikita in a

tight circle so they couldn't get away.

"I agreed to compete in the match, but I didn't agree to compete more than once."

I had a certain interest in the Nagumo in front of me, but I couldn't spend all my time on him.

I had some things I wanted to do in the future.

"You think you have veto power?"

"I don't want you to challenge me to a match just for the fun of it. If you want to have this battle with me to decide the student council president, you'll have to be prepared to have a real fight here."

"I'll do that, but it's a fight you're likely to lose. You know that, right?" "Since the current students will be allowed to vote, all votes cast by thirdyear students will be at your discretion, the student council president. So one-third of the votes have already been cast, is that what you're saying?"

"Yes. If you assemble the entire second year together, we'd barely be even. Well, that's not going to happen either."

As the opponent is Ichinose from the same year, the second-year vote would inevitably split.

"If you could do me one favor, I think it would be a good match." "Interesting. Say it."

"The voting will be anonymous, that's all. If only the school knows who voted for which candidate, I think we'd be evenly matched."

"I don't get it. So the third-years won't vote for the candidate I'm supporting?"

"But you can imagine how that would increase the chances of that happening, can't you?"

If anonymity was ensured, there was no need to follow the rules. Even if he promised some kind of reward such as private points, it was impossible to prove unless Nagumo's side got close to zero votes. "Even if that were the case, how do you expect half of the third years to be on your side? That's impossible."

"You won't know until you try."

Kiriyama watched silently as Nagumo and I argued.

"So, you're willing to play as long as I add that condition, is that it?" "Yes, it'd be no problem."

"You're still showing a strange kind of confidence, but that's all right. If you're confident that you can compete with us on that basis, then I have no complaints. But before we finalize the matter, let me just say that I would like to see some stakes in the game."

I guess if there was nothing to bet on, it wouldn't hurt or itch to lose. For Nagumo, avoiding being outdone by me was an absolute must. It was inevitable that Nagumo would make a bet that there were no alternate possibilities other than his victory.

"Can you bet on anything, Ayanokouji?"

"Can I repeat those words back to you exactly as they are? Even if it means getting expelled."

"Yes. I'd like to say yes, but it's a difficult question."

"I'm sure you're right. No one would accept the risk of expulsion at a place like this. I'm willing to bet on expulsion, but in that case, let me demand a commensurate quid pro quo."

"Quid pro quo?"

"If I win, I want to get some private points from you. Preferably enough money to buy a ticket to move to the next class. Even under the rules of special

exams, you need that many private points to prevent expulsion. It's not too much to ask."

"Well, it's worth it to risk expulsion, isn't it?"

Since both parties' interests were aligned, they come to a consensus on the direction of the game.

However, Kiriyama, who was listening to the conversation, put a stop to it.

"I was told in advance that you were going to play with Ayanokouji, but I don't agree with the terms of the bet, and I can't let you bet such a large sum of money on a game you've never played before."

"Wait a minute Kiriyama… You think I'm going to lose under these rules? Ayanokouji said we'd be even just by being anonymous, but he's wrong." "I don't think you'll lose, but it's still not a zero percent chance. The probability changes depending on whether you choose Horikita or Ichinose. Above all, 20 million points is too large. If you want to pay Ayanokouji, use the money to save one of the third-year students."

It was no wonder Kiriyama strongly discouraged him from doing so, but Nagumo showed no signs of backing down.

"I'm free to do whatever I want with the money I've obtained through my real power. It always has been and always will be."

"...You insist?"

"By all means. I'm going to win this war and kick Ayanokouji out of school."

"Let's just leave the second year alone. I don't agree with that approach." Kiriyama retorted, but Nagumo wasn't going to listen to him any longer. "I'll grant your wish, Ayanokouji. If you beat me, you'll be in Class A." "Thank you, President."

"Are you sure about this? If the bet was small, all you'd have to do is get down on your knees, but with 20 million, I'll have to ask you to keep your promise regarding the expulsion from school, even if you don't want to. If you want to lower the weight of your offer, now's the time to do so."

"Is that what you want?"

"Ha. I thought you'd be a little freaked out if I threatened you like that, but you didn't seem upset."

"I've already accepted the risk that comes from procuring a lot of money from you from the very beginning."

"I'll get you the contract. It's one of two things: expulsion or 20 million." All that was left was for both parties to decide which they would support, and then the match setup was complete.

"I know we're going to play, but I don't know whether it will work or not."

Just as Kiriyama was about to make his last stand to stop the game, in which a huge amount of points would be at stake, a knock on the student council room's door was heard.

"Nagumo-senpai, this is Ichinose."

A clear voice. It seemed that both candidates had arrived. "...Nagumo, if you can, don't tell them about the match. And of course, don't talk about the bet."

Kiriyama had a good point, and it wasn't something we should be telling Horikita and the others.

No doubt they wouldn't feel good if they knew that they were the target of a game or a bet.

"You have no objections to this proposal, Ayanokouji?"

"No, I don't have a problem with that."

"But… Are you sure about this? If we bring those two in here, the game's basically begun."

Kiriyama looked at me and stopped me, saying that this was the only point I could turn back.

"You don't have to risk your expulsion to play along with Nagumo's game." "But it's not easy to get a Class A ticket, isn't it? Then, isn't it natural to take a reasonable risk?"

"It seems that you're no longer hiding your true nature."

Kiriyama was beyond angry and looked at the cell phone screen again. "All right. Do what you want…Come on in, both of you." Kiriyama urged as he approached the entrance and opened the door. Nagumo's position as president was likely to cause him a lot of trouble since he always acted as he pleased as an individual.

In that sense, it wasn't a bad idea to bring forward the switch of student council president.

The two students noticed my presence as soon as I entered the room. It was obvious that I was an outsider who wasn't a member of the student council, so there was no need to make a special mention of it.

"Come sit next to Ayanokouji."

"Excuse me."

Horikita sat down next to me and Ichinose next to Horikita.

For a moment, Horikita's sideways glance expressed, 'Are you involved in something strange again?'

The conversation resumed again when everyone except Kiriyama, who had returned behind Nagumo, sat down in their chairs.

"I'm asking you two to hold an election to decide who will be the next student council president."

"Election?"

"Isn't that a common practice in junior highs? I'll give a speech and let the students decide which of you is best suited to be student council president and cast

their votes. The student who acquires the most votes is the next student council president."

"I see. But I don't recall any such election last year."

"Yes. In past years, the seated student council president, which would be me, decided who would be the next student council president. As long as the person who passed the baton directly to me agrees, they'll be the next student council president. Of course, I won't nominate anyone other than those who have achieved results that satisfy the people around them."

The student council president wasn't decided at random but based on a sound basis.

Nagumo added that he wouldn't forget this point.

"However, the situation is a little different for you second-year students. Only Honami served on the student council last year, and Suzune, who joined in during her second year, hasn't been a member for a year."

"I understand that there were no other students who joined the student council at the same time, but I think that Ichinose-san would be a good choice for student council president. I don't think she has any faults."

Although she was giving the student council president position to her opponent, Ichinose, Horikita had no hesitation in her decision.

She didn't originally join the student council because she wanted to be the student council president.

"Do you not feel like becoming the student council president?" "No, not at all. I feel positive about following in my brother's footsteps. "I'm willing to run for election if that's what the current students want, but at the same time, I'm perfectly fine with it being Ichinose-san."

"Certainly, Honami has no shortcomings. It would be the expected choice. But there's something else that makes me uneasy."

Ichinose reacted with a slight tremor in her shoulders.

"At this point, Honami's chances of graduating in Class A has dropped dramatically. This is a problem. All of the student council presidents in the past have graduated within Class A. This isn't an official tradition, but an unspoken common sense. Of course, I will be one of them."

Indeed, Ichinose's position was in jeopardy depending on whether or not she will graduate in Class A was taken out of the equation. Horikita, on the other hand,

was in the chase for Class A as a Class B student, so she was probably close to that tacit assumption.

"There's Honami, who has a perfect track record, and Suzune, who doesn't have a solid track record but is close to Class A. After taking various factors into consideration, I decided that you two are almost evenly matched at this point in time. That's why we decided to hold an election campaign."

Since Nagumo had the authority to decide the student council president, I had no choice but to agree with the clear rationale, however different it may be in degree.

All that remained is for the students themselves to decide whether or not to accept the position.

"I understand. If that's the case, I'll run for the office."

Then it was decided.

This meant that Horikita and Ichinose would be competing against each other for the position of student council president.

All that remained was for Nagumo and me to decide which of the two we'd support.

"Ayanokouji, I'll let you choose which one you want to back up."

"Are you sure?"

"I'll at least let you choose."

"Horikita or Ichinose. To be honest, for me, it doesn't make a difference which one I back… If you're going to give me the right to make a decision, might as well choose which one will be more beneficial in the future."

But Horikita stood up faster than I could name names.

"Wait a minute, President. Ayanokouji-kun is here because..."

"I'm going to have a contest to see between you and Honami who will be elected student council president."

He wasn't supposed to talk about that in front of them.

Kiriyama seemed to be holding his forehead, but there was no way Nagumo would've listened to Kiriyama.

"...You're also..."

"No, I didn't bring this up, did I?"

"Even so, there must've been a problem with the course of the conversation that led up to it."

That was right. I couldn't deny that.

Nagumo had a conscience and didn't mention the bet.

"Come on, choose whoever you like better."

"Then—"

I was about to mention the name that I settled on when again I was interrupted by a voice saying, "Wait. This is an unprecedented endeavor. I should probably add a few more things."

Kiriyama, who had been listening, interrupted at this point. "What? Are you still dissatisfied with the flow of the conversation?" "This is a student council election. I want to make sure that they really want to run and that they have the right qualifications."

"You've made sure enough."

"No, it's not enough. I've heard back from Horikita, but not from Ichinose." "You don't have to ask her that."

"I disagree."

Kiriyama turned to look at Ichinose, and without warning, the door to the student council room opened forcefully.

"Let me interrupt you, Nagumo."

As if she was visiting a friend's room, Kiryuuin, a student in the third year Class B, entered the room without permission. It was the first time I had seen her in such close proximity since the summer, but she didn't have her usual easygoing smile on her face and seemed to be in a rather bad mood.

"You're an unexpected guest. Can't you think of knocking at least once?" The student council election was about to be discussed, and Nagumo wouldn't have welcomed this guest.

"I'm busy right now. You can come back later."

Nagumo tried to get rid of her, but Kiryuuin wouldn't listen. "I had asked Kiriyama to make time for me in advance, and you put me off?"

"I'm sorry, but I didn't hear anything about you."

Nagumo looked annoyed at Kiryuuin's appearance and glanced at Kiriyama for confirmation.

"I'm sorry Nagumo, but Kiryuuin is saying is technically correct. It was my fault for the time accommodation."

"It was a careless mistake on your part."

"I can't explain myself. She's involved in another matter that I was hoping you could help me resolve today."

I didn't know the details of what he was talking about, but such an exchange took place between Nagumo and Kiriyama.

"That's what I was talking about. Do you mind listening to what I have to say, Nagumo?"

"I understand the situation, but I'm having an important discussion with these guys about the student council."

"I can see that you're busy, but I don't have much free time either. I have an appointment at this time, so you're going to have to deal with it." Certainly, Kiryuuin had no reason to back down. It was Kiriyama's fault for making a mistake in arranging the time of the appointment.

"For now, my priority is to talk with Suzune and Honami. If you insist on coming early, just sit there and wait in silence."

Nagumo tried to explain that Kiryuuin's appointment was only known to Kiriyama at this point. Nagumo tried to make a pass at Kiryuuin, but Kiryuuin seemed a little different and didn't hide her irritation.

"I refuse."

Kiryuuin replied with a slightly stern tone and put her foot on one of the empty seats in the student council room.

"What are you imitating?"

"First of all, I'm going to ask you a question right now. Depending on your answer, you will be sacrificed to this chair."

Will she kick it away or destroy it?

It seemed certain that the fate of the chair on which Kiryuuin had placed her foot was at stake.

Kiriyama looked at Kiryuuin, who showed no sign of leaving and again apologized to Nagumo.

"If it's Kiryuuin, it may be counterproductive to turn her away. It would be safer to let the second-years wait temporarily and listen to what she has to say." Even though Horikita and Ichinose have priority, if Nagumo asked them to wait, they would.

On the other hand, it was clear here that Kiryuuin, who seemed to be in a bad mood, wouldn't do so.

If you couldn't turn someone away or make them wait, it'd be quicker to ask them first.

"Never mind about us, let's talk about Kiryuuin-senpai first. Is that alright with you, Horikita-san?"

"Yes, that would be better."

Since both parties came to this conclusion without waiting for direct confirmation, it seemed that Nagumo had no choice but to take Kiryuuin's side. "Oh dear… All right, let me ask you. What is it that you came here for?" "You didn't tell Nagumo that either, did you, Kiriyama? That really isn't a good arrangement."

"I understand your desire to blame me, but I'm in the middle of a lot of things. Besides, we decided that it would be better for you to tell him about your messed up story as it is."

He had deliberately left the reason for her visit unannounced. Kiryuuin looked at Kiriyama with cold eyes, but she had to let it go. "Now, let me cut to the chase. I don't want to be so judgmental yet. So, I dare to ask you this. Who's the one who's decided to harass me in such a malicious manner?"

"Harassment? That doesn't tell the whole story."

"Then let's be more specific. Did you orchestrate a despicable and malicious act, trying to frame me as a shoplifter and forcing your friends to carry out the plan?"

A word too unexpected popped up— shoplifting.

It was Ichinose who reacted to it before anyone else.

Although she tried to keep her composure, it was obvious that she must've been nervous inside.

It wasn't a surprising reaction when one had a history of criminal behavior, even if it was for the sake of one's family.

"Shoplifting? I'm missing the point more and more."

"Kiryuuin was almost accused of shoplifting at the Keyaki Mall after school the other day. While shopping at a cosmetics store, Yamanaka, a third-year Class D student, approached Kiryuuin from behind and tried to slip lipstick into her bag. When Kiryuuin noticed this and confronted Yamanaka, he told her that you had ordered him to do it, Nagumo."

Kiriyama made Kiryuuin's words of condemnation easy to understand.

"I see. So that's why you came to me so boldly."

"The reason I didn't tell you directly what I was talking about was because I knew you'd never order me to do such a thing. Am I right?"

Kiriyama implied that he trusted Nagumo on this point.

Nagumo responded to both Kiryuuin's and Kiriyama's questions with a noncommittal attitude.

"Can you say for sure you're not involved?"

Obviously, Kiryuuin suspected that Nagumo was involved. "I don't know. At least you seem to think it was my order." "Yamanaka, the perpetrator, testified as much. Is that not enough? "He might've just used me to get away with it, right?"

To Nagumo's reply, Kiryuuin shook her head lightly.

"If he mentioned your name, Yamanaka wouldn't be able to get away with this. It would be less trouble for Yamanaka if he puts the blame on someone else. Am I wrong?"

Kiryuuin's point of view certainly made sense.

Nagumo has almost complete control over the entirety of the third years. It didn't matter if you had a ticket or not.

I couldn't immediately think of any advantage to lying about being ordered by Nagumo under his control. If he fell out of Nagumo's favor because of this incident, it would be a major stumbling block for the student Yamanaka. That's why it wasn't unreasonable to suspect that Nagumo was the real culprit since his name came up.

Even if I went through the same thing, Nagumo would still be the first person I would suspect.

"Even so, you seem to be very angry over a single shoplifting incident. It's not like you."

"You don't understand me well enough to say 'it's not like me.' Unfortunately, I have a great dislike for acts like shoplifting. If people don't get caught, it's not a big deal, and I hate to see people hurting others just for their own sake."

From the way Kiryuuin spoke, it seemed as if she was unaware of Ichinose's past.

While Kiryuuin was openly expressing her dislike, Ichinose's expression

darkened. Nagumo noticed this change in attitude and interrupted her, perhaps because he was aware of the situation.

Nagumo seemed to have dared to treat the shoplifting act lightly in front of Ichinose, but it seemed to have the opposite effect.

"Do you admit it? You tried to frame me for it."

"That's another matter, isn't it?"

When Nagumo refused to acknowledge this, Kiryuuin added, as if sensing. "You can rest assured. If I can hear an apology from you, I promise you that this matter will be put to rest."

If Nagumo gave the order, he was an instigator.

In a case like this, he would obviously receive a heavier punishment than the perpetrator.

Even if Nagumo was a representative of the third years, Kiryuuin seemed to be against trying to avoid making a big deal out of this scandal.

"On the other hand, what if I don't apologize? Will you be satisfied with breaking the chair?"

"I don't think I'll get an apology."

"I see. Well, then..."

Nagumo broke off from Kiryuuin and turned to us.

"I'm done talking with you, Kiryuuin."

Nagumo didn't apologize, didn't admit it, didn't even acknowledge it, and simply let the conversation drift away.

"This is something I never thought I'd see coming."

Nagumo coldly told Kiryuuin, who was stunned.

"You said you forced the truth out of Yamanaka, but how much credibility do you have in that statement when you got it out of him with threats? Even if you skip the student council and report it to the school, do you really think they'll take it seriously?"

"At the very least, Yamanaka's attempt to frame me of shoplifting is likely to have been caught on camera in the store. It's not a problem that can be ignored." "Then pull up the footage first. But that's it. If you don't come up with something that directly links me to Yamanaka, it's a meaningless story." Yamanaka was the only one who would be punished. There would never be any evidence of his involvement.

Nagumo exuded such confidence.

The school would do its utmost to investigate Kiryuuin's complaint, but there would be limits.

Yamanaka's lie was targeting Nagumo's downfall, the student council president and the leader of the third-year students.

Unless definite evidence was found, such an outcome was obvious. "I'm sorry for interrupting, but I want to talk about what you said earlier. Are you sure you don't disagree with me about the election?"

Nagumo started to get the final confirmation as if he really wanted to ignore Kiryuuin.

"Yes, President. I'm fine."

Horikita agreed, although she was concerned about Kiryuuin's legs still on the chair.

I thought she was about to kick the chair out of the way, but Kiryuuin continued to observe as if trying to see through Nagumo's mind. Soon after, Nagumo moved on to Ichinose's response.

If everything went smoothly, she should give an immediate response but… However, the expression on Ichinose's face still wasn't clear, as if Kiryuuin's shoplifter words were still in her mind.

"Honami, you're going to run for election too, right?"

"...Well, about that... May I have a word with you, Nagumo-senpai?" "What?"

"I'm—not going to run for the student council this time."

At this point, Ichinose made a statement that I hadn't expected to hear. "You don't want to be the student council president?"

"No, I think it's not so much that I don't want to be the student council president, I believe it's a problem that goes beyond that. I have always believed that belonging to the student council and becoming the student council president was for my own good and for the good of those around me. But now I realize that it was just conceit. As you've mentioned, Nagumo-senpai, the fact that my class is far away from Class A is also proof of this."

So she was declining the award in light of her undeserving class standing. "Besides, a person like me can't be the student council president. A criminal, that's why…"

Kiryuuin's unintentional words had casted a large shadow over Ichinose. "Criminal?"

Kiryuuin, who didn't know what was going on, muttered curiously, but I couldn't explain the reason at this moment.

"That's a different story. It has nothing to do with you right now." "I don't believe so. No matter how much time passes, the sins of the past will not disappear."

After answering, Ichinose continued before Nagumo as if she still had something on her mind.

"Before the election, I would like to resign from the student council today." "Wait, Ichinose-san. I think that's too hasty a decision. You haven't…" "No, it's nothing to do with today. It's something I've been thinking about since a little before the trip."

Ichinose smiled and confessed that she hadn't made a decision yet. "You know as well as I do that service in the student council isn't just a burden for the students. There are some tedious chores, but basically, it can only be a positive thing in this school. You've benefited from it, too, even if it's not as visible as you'd like."

Nagumo was right, being a member of the student council wasn't a bad thing.

If you've been in this school for any length of time, you'd know that being a member of the student council contributes to your class points, even if only a little. For Ichinose's class, being in the tight spot it was in, it was like throwing away one of their weapons.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not going to change my mind."

Not only did she not want to run for student council president, she also wanted to resign from the student council.

Kiriyama seemed surprised by such a statement.

"You seem to be serious about this, Ichinose."

"You've helped me a lot... I'm sorry I couldn't help you until the end." "No, of course it's the person's decision whether or not to continue. I have no right to stop you..."

Kiryuuin seemed to have guessed this to some extent, but it would be more unreasonable not to connect Ichinose with the shoplifting issue. I could only resent my bad luck that the subject came up coincidentally and in a timely manner. No, even without the shoplifting incident, Ichinose's will to quit was firm. "I apologize for not being able to live up to your expectations."

Ichinose got up and bowed deeply to Nagumo and Kiriyama. "I'm sure you'll be a wonderful student council president, Horikita-san. I'll be rooting for you."

"Ichinose-san…"

Ichinose, who was supposed to be her rival in the election, smiled and gave her a pep talk.

"I'm feeling a little under the weather, so I'll leave you here now. If there are any forms that need to be filled out, please give me them later. See you later, Ayanokouji-kun."

With a small wave of her hand, Ichinose left the student council office without hesitation.

The shoplifting incident may've definitely caused some emotional scars, but she showed no signs of changing her mind about quitting until the very end, nor did she seem to have any lingering regrets.

It was probably something she was really thinking about, not something she just spouted from her mouth.

Nagumo and I weren't the only ones who felt that this was an unexpected turn of events.

Horikita, who announced her candidacy for student council president, felt the same.

"Ichinose-san has left the student council, what should I do?" Ichinose leaving the student council seemed to have automatically ended the match that I had been carrying out up until now.

But now that this happened, there was nothing even Nagumo could do about it.

It was impossible to replace Honami now.

I didn't know about other schools' rules, but at least in this school, a student who wasn't in the student council may not be qualified to be the student council president.

"I don't like the way this is going, but you're going to be the student council president, Suzune."

The most important thing to avoid would be the absence of the student council president.

It would be too much of a stretch to suddenly appoint a second-year student with no experience as student council president.

"I'm a bit distracted because I thought it was going to be an election, but... I understand."

With her unopposed victory, Horikita would be elected student council president in no time at all.

"Before that, I have a job for you."

"What is it?"

"Fill in the vacancy left by Ichinose as soon as possible. Bring in at least one new student council member from the second years."

Indeed, Ichinose's departure left only Horikita as a second year. If something unforeseen happened, the student council may become dysfunctional.

"Are there any conditions for recruitment?"

"There is only one thing—whether or not people around you think you're worthy of being a member of the student council."

"I see, that makes perfect sense."

Although it may be inappropriate to bring up, it was likely that the discussion was about how someone with a reputation like Ryuuen's couldn't be allowed to join the student council.

It seemed to me that there were no restrictions on the number of students from one's own class or another…

"So anyone can move to join the student council as long as they meet these conditions?"

"Plain and simple. You're free to bring in anyone from your own class. Even your predecessor, Horikita-senpai, had a member of the student council from the same class, didn't he?"

"Yes, I understand."

"And one more thing… Appoint a member of the student council from the first year as well. Yagami unexpectedly dropped out of school and we have a vacancy."

Nagumo gave what seemed to be a very difficult order, and Horikita's expression hardened.

"It makes no difference whether I need to recruit one or two people. I'll do my best."

There was no way she could refuse, so she answered honestly. "It looks like we've come to an agreement."

Kiryuuin, who had been watching over the meeting, called out to Nagumo again.

Maybe they were thinking that they couldn't tell the truth in the presence of second-year students.

Horikita, who had been given a new assignment, reads the room and stood up.

"I'll leave you to it. I will report back to you as soon as I have two new members."

"Yes. At that time, I will officially hand over the position of student council president to you."

Bowing to Kiryuuin, who was watching the situation, Horikita left the student council room.

With the student council elections out of the way, the battle between Nagumo and me should've naturally drifted away.

This would be the best time to leave.

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to leave now."

"Wait a minute, Ayanokouji, I'm not finished talking with you yet." Nagumo stopped me with a biting look as if he wasn't going to let me go so easily.

"Don't hold me up any longer. The conversation with Ayanokouji ended with Ichinose's refusal. I think it's best to back off and get the Kiryuuin thing out of the way as soon as possible."

Kiryuuin agreed with Kiriyama that the problem couldn't be left unaddressed.

"You are full of faults, but I appreciate what you said. I hope you'll make a wise decision, Nagumo."

"Damn it…"

Nagumo clicked his tongue in frustration, but the circumstances forced him to admit it.

However, he added this at the very end, probably because he didn't want to let me go.

"You're a student in Suzune's class. Please help me gather members for the student council."

"Me, huh?"

"In the second year, there are no other student council members. Besides, the student council president will be unconditionally elected from Class 2-B. I can't let them have it too easy."

I think you could say that to any of our classmates... Besides, that has nothing to do with whether or not I'll help him.

It seemed to me that he was just taking it out on me, but I didn't think it was worth it to argue with you here.

"Well, I don't know how much help I can be, but I'll do my best. Maybe." Nagumo didn't let me off the hook for leaving for an escape route. "I'll make sure to let Suzune know that you'll help her after this. Don't skip work, okay?"

I was considering not going along with him, but he beated me to the punch. "Okay, I'll help you. Are you satisfied with that?"

At this point, Nagumo finally understood, and his resistance to letting me go disappeared.

"That's right. Here's a souvenir for you at the end of the trip." I took out a few extra souvenirs I bought in Hokkaido and handed them to Nagumo, bag by bag.

"You're very disciplined in a strange way, aren't you?"

"I'm meeting the president of the student council, after all. I thought it would be a good idea to at least bring a souvenir."

I didn't know when to give him this kind of gift, and it was a mistake to do so at the last minute.

"I don't have one?"