CH 167

What kind of face should I make to the girl in front of me?

I have avoided relying on others in my life, so I have no idea what an appropriate facial expression is for this situation.

I was waiting for Kanazaki Shizuku to start talking, even though it was my room and my problem.

“For now… let’s call everyone in.”

“…Eh, now?”

In solving the problem in collaboration with Shizuku, the first thing that was proposed was to call the people who are involved in this student council issue. Namely, Kirasaka, Yuuto, and Shiraishi.

After we had worked out the specifics, we would contact Koizumi and Miura individually and explain Shiraishi’s intentions and how we would move forward.

When I asked Shizuku about the reasons for not inviting Koizumi and the others to this meeting, she said that they both said that they did not want anything other than the option of running for student body president.

Certainly, he would not be thinking about anything other than the student body president’s seat.

He was so envious of one person that it was blinding to him, who was spending his days in a depraved way so that he could become the next Hiiragi Akane, even if just a little bit.

So there was no need to call him on this occasion.

I agreed with Shizuku’s opinion, but I also felt it was too hasty to call him today.

Or rather, I really want to avoid moving so actively throughout the day.

But the position he’s asking for doesn’t allow for such a thing.

I see… By creating an environment where position and denial are not allowed from an early stage, one will say yes and do whatever those in higher positions tell to do.

Is this how the negative legacy of Japanese society called “company livestock” is created?

In conclusion, working at home from home is the best and strongest.

As if seeing through my repeated replaying of my usual sneers, I turned my gaze away from Shizuku, who was giving me a slightly cold stare, and headed for the living room to say a few words to Kaede.

“Is it okay if I call someone for a minute?”

“I don’t mind, but …aren’t you tired?”

“I’m fine …and I’m sure they’ll be here in no time.”

This was the first time I called someone as soon as I got home, she gave me a worried look, as we hadn’t spent time together as siblings for quite a long.

As if to reassure her, I gave her a pat on the head and replied that I was fine, and once again returned to my room.

“I’ve already contacted everyone. I’ve called all of you, and both Ogiwara-kun and Kirasaka-san are on their way here, fortunately they had some time to spare.”

“You’re fast.”

The words were not meant as a compliment, but Shizuku, looking a little happy at the words, pulls out a small notebook from her pocket.

I remember seeing one somewhere.

I was searching through my memory to see if I had a notebook similar to this one.

“The student handbook?”

“Yes.”

The dark blue notebook with a golden cherry blossom emblem on it was the student handbook of Sakuranaoka Academy.

No wonder I remember seeing it.

As I recall, my student notebook was also in the bottom of my bag somewhere.

Well, I only look at it once a year when my photo, grade, and class information is updated, so it’s no wonder I don’t remember much about it.

Opening that notebook, Shizuku turns the pages as if looking for something.

Inside the notebook, there is a yearly calendar, school holidays, and the school rules.

Normally, almost no one would check the school rules and regulations.

It is as if it were written by a person who has a vocabulary that is so small and simple that everyone knows it as common knowledge.

I have never read it, and as far as I know, I don’t know any student who has read through the Student Handbook.

“What are you looking for in that thing?”

“It’s an entry about the student council elections. I’m sure it was around here somewhere…”

As she muttered this, the sound of paper turning over stopped at a certain page, as if Shizuku had found the text she was looking for.

Like a robot whose power is turned off, Shizuku’s movements stop as she quickly vacates the space for the people who will be coming to sit beside her.

As she does so, the intercom rang through the house.

They’re early…

Not five minutes have passed and they are already here.

Kaede rushes out of the living room, and I step out of the room to intercept her and open the front door to greet the figure.

“You’re late.”

“No, you’re early.”

Kirasaka was the first to complain, and behind him were Yuuto and Shiraishi.

I responded appropriately to the line, as if some fighting nation had caught the enemy off-guard, and welcomed the three of them.

I had an inkling as to why Yuuto and Shiraishi had arrived at the same time when I saw a car behind them.

Yuuto hums a tune, Kirasaka enters with the dignity of home, and Shiraishi enters quietly, as if alerted by the person behind me.

“What’s the matter …you met my sister earlier, didn’t you?”

“No… well, I’ve met her, but it’s exactly because I’ve met her…”

Kaede looked back at them with a smile on her face, saying that she didn’t understand what she was saying.

They are the same age, so they may have something in common. Anyway, Shizuku welcomed them as if she were the owner when she led them to my room.

“Welcome!”

“Don’t greet them as if they were in your room, will you?”

“Sit wherever you like!”

“That’s my line, right? I mean …don’t sit on my chair without my permission, okay?”

I listened to Shizuku’s words and unreservedly pointed out Shiraishi who was about to sit on my chair silently, then she sat down on a nearby cushion with her body trembling so much that I could almost hear the sound effect of ‘Bikuu’.

This girl is as …weird as ever.

When everyone was ready to listen, Shizuku, the initiator of the conversation, opened her mouth.

“I have called you here today to talk about the student council elections.”

At these words, the expressions on the faces of the three students became slightly more serious.

Shiraishi, in particular, was listening to Shizuku’s words so intently that she almost fell forward.

I have no prior information either.

I would be listening to her words and thoughts under the same circumstances as the three of them, but I wonder what she would say.

“I’m going to conclude by saying that I can’t help Shiraishi-san with the Student Council elections.”

Her words were very straightforward and easy to understand.

Shiraishi must have felt like she was being handed a verdict, but Shizuku’s words were that emotionless.

Even if no one was listening, the air in the room demanded an explanation from Shizuku.　

It was the same for me, too, and I wanted to hear the significance behind the statement.

“There are several reasons. There is the fact that we originally had no intention of joining the student council, and there are various personal feelings as well. …If I had to venture a guess as to the number one reason, it would be the school rules.”

She put the opened page on the desk so that everyone could see it.

In the student handbook, there was a section entitled “Guidelines for Student Council Elections.”

The contents of this section were generally as what the president had explained before.

The contents of the handbook were roughly the same as the president had explained before: the conditions for running for Student Council election and the rules for election activities.　

There was nothing new in it.

“The school rules …is something wrong there?”

“I’ve only read it a couple of times.”

…You’ve read it a couple of times!

I didn’t realize there was someone surprisingly nearby who had read through this kind of text.

Only me and Yuuto are wondering, while Shiraishi made a bitter face then silently shrunk her body.

It was not Shizuku who spoke up there, but Kirasaka.

“I wonder if you’re referring to the three items in Article 24 of the school rules?”

Where is that?

I immediately turned my attention to the items she mentioned.

The page that was really open was the one where Article 24 exists, and I silently read the sentences of the three items there.

While twitching at the slight flex of talent, which could only be seen as a waste of memory, I proceeded to understand the contents together with Yuuto.

The resignation of a student council member is only possible with the approval of a majority of the student council members and the teacher in charge of the student council.

That is what was written in the student handbook.

Well, it is only natural that the appointment and resignation of the Student Council should be clearly stated.

If there is a problem with this which I don’t know.

“Oh, that’s what you mean!”

“…What the hell does that mean?”

The next moment, Yuuto raised his voice as if he it understood completely.

“Minato-kun, please remember, when Shiraishi-san first came to the student council room to talk to you, don’t you remember that she said she was going to renew the student council officers?”

“To sum up, even if she becomes the student council president, the student council president doesn’t have the authority to abdicate the others, so a renewal of the student council in the first place would be impossible unless we were to run for other positions.”

…………Ah.

So it was this simple.

It was my mistake, because I was so focused on the word “renewal” that I didn’t have a broader perspective on the basics in the first place.

The fact that Shiraishi, who had a bitter look on her face when he heard Shizuku’s words, was of course aware of the fact that she was speaking out of turn, let out a sigh.

I turned my gaze to Shiraishi, but it was instantly averted.

She is completely unwilling to make eye contact…

But this is not a problem if things settle down so easily …that all is well.

Shiraishi suddenly tapped the desk with great force and fearlessly declared.

“It’s a game!”

At that time, I had never imagined that this statement would lead to a troublesome summer vacation in the future.

<TL> : 3 more to go.