CH 179

It’s Thursday today, which means that here onwards, the next weekend begins to feel closer as compared to Wednesday.

In other words, there are only two days of real campaigning left, today and tomorrow.

The nervousness and enthusiasm in the speeches of both the candidates grew, and the number of students flocking to their preferred sides increased with each passing day.

Koizumi has consistently taken the stance of taking over the ideal Sakuranaoka Academy that Hiiragi Akane has created.

Shiraishi’s stance is just the opposite, urging change in her own way.

A student council that relies on one person is not the right one.

It is important for all members to have the appropriate abilities and a common goal.

The momentum of her speech even though she being a freshman was able to draw the attention of many students.

Koizumi, however, was not to be outdone and actively approached the students in clubs.

Shiraishi was aware that she did not have the same momentum as Koizumi, but she took full advantage of the relationships she had built up with current students.

Moreover, being a current student, I know that the greatness of the current student body president is difficult to surpass, but having supported her up close, I think this is essential for her to move forward.

They’re both doing their best.

With more students interested in this election than I had anticipated, the results may not just be a simple popularity contest.

Well, this is something we won’t know until the results are out.

Let’s talk about me personally, not about what’s going on around me.

After all, I have not exchanged a single word with Yuuto since then.

It is difficult to treat each other as if nothing had happened in just a day or two.

I’m just trying to put it into action, my own ideas.

Yuuto did not ask me to participate in the discussion today.

Instead, I heard that Shizuku, who was absent last time, will be joining them.

I wondered if Shizuku would take some kind of action this time.

As the one who created the atmosphere that disrupted the group, I naturally feel uncomfortable in the class.

However, I can’t say for sure that as a result of that, but she said that some change has surely taken place.

Perhaps a few students were a bit inspired by my blabbering, but the others appeared not to be a part in the discussions.

Besides, I heard that some of the reluctant students were also dissatisfied with their names being entered without their permission and suggested some changes.

This can be annoying to the high ranked members of the class, but as long as they remain together, they shouldn’t be ignored at least.

This should make the discussions a bit better and should reduce the dependency on others for their decision.

Rushing out after school, I left my seat early and walked alone to the elevator entrance.

As I walked out of the building, I saw a group of unfamiliar students busily moving through the building, carrying bundles of papers and luggage.

They must be Shiraishi’s cheering squad.

Since I had not spoken to them once since the first day when I gave them a pep talk, I did not know much about their current situation.

The option of taking this opportunity to ask them how they were doing came to mind, but I shook my head as if to forget about it.

I don’t want to make a bad decision and have the students around Shiraishi look at me like, “Who’s this guy?”

As I stepped out in the opposite direction from where the first-year student had went off, I was grabbed by the shoulder.

“You can’t escape.”

“…Scary.”

As usual, she has a personality that’s difficult to deal with.

The person who grabbed one of my shoulders from behind was Momiji Shiraishi, just stood there like in those horror movies.

“Senpai, I’m surprised that you never showed your face except the first day.”

“When it comes to me, it’s a daily occurrence that the other party is surprised.”

“I’m surely surprised, but not impressed, …and I’m surprised at the fact that you said you’d help but then never showed up.”

“…”

…Sorry about that.

But, hey, were you hoping for a manga development where the MC grows up and becomes stronger by relying on others, that way you’ll never grow up.

I told that to Shiraishi, but she just looked at me blankly.

I gave up and turned around to face Shiraishi.

Seeing her wearing a sash with her name written in large letters on it, I realized again that she is indeed running for the presidential election.

In my opinion, as an individual of our age group, it is becoming rare to see someone as willing to take action as she did, so I have nothing but praise for that.

“Kanazaki-senpai and Kirasaka-senpai came to me to talk when they saw me, but senpai never really socialize on their own, do they?”

“…They’re surely in the same grade as me but they’re both girls, so it’s kind of a hard one for me.”

Shizuku aside, it is surprising that even Kirasaka is talking to her.

Even so, I can’t imagine Kirasaka talking to Shiraishi.

“So what did you talk about when you met them?”

“I didn’t expect them to talk to me, so I ran away as fast as I could.”

“…Don’t run away, confront them.”

I told her bluntly, without any sign of offense.

…Why run away?

Was she surprised that Kirasaka suddenly spoke to her in an unexpected situation, who always looked at her indifferently?

But I could imagine that, given Shiraishi’s personality.

…But still don’t run away.

Shiraishi, who beautifully dodged my words and sighed in return, handed me a piece of paper about the election that she was holding in her hand.

“I didn’t give you this, did I?”

“What’s this? …Your manifesto?”

The paper with Shiraishi’s picture and her goals after she becomes the president was given to me, I checked the contents to the very bottom.

Well, I know that what is written about her is just a pretense, so I was just skimming it.

When I turned my gaze from the paper to the kouhai in front of me, she told me with an expression of distress on her face.

“To be honest, I think the votes may go to Koizumi-senpai more than I initially expected. …I think it’s just from the fact that he’s been the vice president for a year now.”

“…What’s your assessment of the current situation?”

“We’re losing, six to four.”

For Shiraishi, who superficially has shown a tough attitude, this statement seems to be on the negative side.

But, to be honest, it’s not too bad.

If each class has about 30 students, there are five classes for each year.

Assuming that 450 people will vote by simple calculation, it is probably too early to give up.

Under the circumstances, if that is the only difference between her and Koizumi, there is still a possibility for her comeback.

This is also to the fact as to why she has been able to fight so hard despite the situation, even though her original plan to bring in Shizuku and the others has failed.

It’s all up to her.

For the remaining two days of the campaign, if she continues to fight using the same high road tactics as before, her chances of winning will diminish.

She will either have to come up with something unexpected or some other ideas.

Either way, she would need to do something.

“So, who are you going to vote for, me or Koizumi-san?”

“I haven’t decided.”

“Please decide, and put your vote in for me.”

Smoothly gathering votes, aren’t you?

I was about to leave, but the next words out of her mouth stopped my body from moving.

“Come to think of it, I was contacted yesterday by Ogiwara-senpai, wasn’t I?”

“…By Yuuto?”

At that one statement, I involuntarily turned to my back.

Normally I wouldn’t care who that guy was in contact with.

However, if he contacted her yesterday, it would have been after talking to me. 

That’s why I was wondering what he contacted Shiraishi for…

No doubt, it was something related to the student council.

However, I can’t think of anything.

Shiraishi said curiously to me as I stopped with a thoughtful look on my face.

“I was asked if anyone I knew was running for student council positions.”

She pointed to a post of the student council election that we had all seen before.

The poster was a small one with a sentence at the bottom that read, “We are always looking for candidates to run for student council.”

It seems that he questioned Shiraishi, who was also a candidate, about it.

There was silence for a moment as we both thought about it.

Someone she knows is running for student council …no, that should be unlikely.

That guy is good-natured, but there’s a part of him that just easily relates to others.

I can’t think of anyone that Yuuto would shoulder such a responsibility to ask others about something he doesn’t understand.

First of all, the question about Yuuto’s actions arises.

After all, Yuuto himself is trying to get involved in the student council.　

When my thoughts reached that point, I remembered what I had thought a short while ago.

For Shiraishi to win against Koizumi, an unexpected event is necessary.

Ogiwara Yuuto’s joining the student council would be a surprising and convenient turn of events for Shiraishi.

It would bring Shiraishi closer to the ideal one that she had originally envisioned.

However, the reason Yuuto changed his mind about the offer that he once turned down, needless to say, is probably related to our conversation…

If I tell Shiraishi the expectations I’ve made, I bet she will run to Yuuto with a beaming expression on her face.

However, that would mean denying the President’s wish for them to fight the election on their own strengths.

Moreover, I denied a similar case the other day, didn’t I?

The situation of the class that relied on others and did not progress on their own.

Through the summer vacation, Momiji Shiraishi underwent a change of heart.

She saw Koizumi as a senior and said that she would gather support from the students with her own strength.

That is why it is better not to tell her about this.

I believe that the decision I am making now is the most appropriate one, even if she will later hate me for it.

“…Well, Shiraishi shouldn’t worry about that for the time being and concentrate on her speech.”

“Yes, that’s right. Now’s the time I should be focusing on my speech.”

With the kouhai nodding in agreement, I continued on my way back the way I came.

In a life where there’s no such things as second chances, I knew that this was a rare one for Shiraishi, thus only a sense of guilt remained in my heart.

Perhaps wondering why I was heading back, Shiraishi tilted her head and asked.

“Did you forget something?”

“…I just remembered something I had to do.”

I felt I had to ask him because he was my friend.

With a sigh and a wry smile at the same time, I stepped inside the school building again.