CH 183

The three of them, except for me, were standing there with a shocked expression on their faces.

It seems that the announcement of my candidacy for the student council was a shocking statement even to them.

“I’m going to be running for the president’s assistant position, …since it’s currently that, and I don’t think anyone will even run for it.”

Many students wouldn’t even know that such a position existed in the first place.

Also, if I get in as an assistant, I don’t have to worry about being in the same position as Hino and the rest of the current council members.

Yuuto didn’t seem to be aiming for any particular position either, so when I suggested this, he nodded his head.

“But Minato, are you serious about this?”

“Super duper serious, you know…”

If it was a joke, it would’ve been a seriously bad one.

For once, there were no lies, and it was a genuine announcement of my candidacy for the for the student council.

The number of students in the student council of Sakuranaoka Academy is originally five.

However, since the current president has created the role of an assistant, the number of members has increased by one, to six.

Let’s assume that Shiraishi and Koizumi will be the president and vice president, respectively, and Hino-kun will continue as the general secretary.

Miura has also indicated that she would continue as the treasurer, which leaves two slots, one for a secretary and the other for an assistant.

At first, I thought about joining in as the secretary, but then I decided not to and continue on with my current position.

Well, I will explain the reason for this later.

Anyway, when Yuuto and I were arguing, I decided that the role of assistant was the best for me, considering the trouble I would cause around me.

“But that’s too much…”

Yuuto said with a difficult expression on his face.

But after saying that, he hesitantly slurred his words.

He might be trying to say that I was at a disadvantage.

Also, he probably hesitated to say so because he was being challenged to a contest.

It is true that in this kind of election, name recognition greatly affects the outcome.

Naturally, there is a huge difference between me and Yuuto, so it would seem to be a reckless contest if you think about it.

“First of all, Yuuto, is the assistant’s position fine?”

“Aah.”

“Then, I only have one thing to say, …don’t be shy, go all out so that you can thoroughly beat your opponent.”

I fearlessly threw out words mixed with provocation.

Yuuto smiles as he realizes that I am neither afraid nor desperate to compete with him.

“If that’s the case, I’ll do it. It’s my first time going up against Minato, and to be honest, I’m looking forward to it.

With that, Yuuto turned back with his bag in hand and walked out of the classroom.

Did he reflect on himself that his back looks bigger than it did yesterday?

I sighed alone in the classroom after Yuuto left, and turned to the direction of the two waiting at the back.

As I was thinking about what to say, I was hit on my head lightly.

There was no pain, just a nimble sound.

Nice shot!

And when I looked at the hand that hit me, I saw that Kirasaka was holding prints folded up like a harisen (large paper fan).

“Are you out of your mind? Of all the things you challenged him to a game convenient for him.”

“Even so, you don’t just suddenly hit me…”

Kirasaka understands.

She also believes that the student elections are merely a popularity contest just disguised with another name.

So, let’s say, the game is completely in Yuuto’s favor.

She said I should have tried to compete in my area of expertise.

However, that’s not good enough.

Both Yuuto and I think that fighting in a new situation for the first time is meaningful…

Was it a mistake?

I said it confidently out of momentum and my peculiar ideas, but now, when I am calm, I indeed do feel that it’s way over the top…

“Well, I guess we’ll manage.”

Positive thinking is the best.

I believe someone once said that if you live your life with the right mentality, you might be able to make it work.

Jokes in moderation, I looked at the two of them and saw their anxious expressions.

Even I, the one who challenged them, couldn’t see the odds of victory at a level that I have no idea what to do next.

If I were to judge the situation as it is now, I would say that the odds are completely stacked against me.

“If Minato-kun is going to be on the student council, I wouldn’t mind running for it either…”

She said that. And her eyes were like, ‘what should I do?’

As she said the other day, if my presence is the basis of Shizuku’s action, it is of course inevitable that she will be in the election as well.

However, it is the consequences she worries about.

The reason why I didn’t go along with the secretary’s position.

It was so that a position would be available when either Shizuku or possibly Kirasaka ran for the student council.

However, if she runs for that slot, she will naturally take that position if no one else comes forward against her.

Here, the problem is if I am not elected.

She would have to join the student council without me, which is supposed to be against her principle of action.

From her point of view, she would be sitting in an organization for a year that she has no motive in and so she would just be wasting her time.

So I shook my head in denial at what Shizuku said.

“I haven’t heard anything about anyone running for the secretary’s position as of now, and in case Shizuku is thinking participating, it should come after the results are in.”

“After the results?”

“…Ah.”

There is no presidential nomination slot for which Hiiragi Akane forced me to join the student council.

However, the nomination quota does exist.

The system works by recommending the nominated student to join the student council if all the student council members agree and the teacher in charge also agrees.

If a student as good as Shizuku could use this system, she could join the student council without any problem.

When I explained this, Shizuku nodded a few times in agreement, and Kirasaka seemed to be thinking about it with her hand on her chin.

Anyway, the stage was now set for the competition, but here comes the problem.

The problem is that I’m going up against the prince of the school.

I would need to come up with an appropriate strategy.

I don’t have the confidence or the experience to win on my own.

It’s obvious that I cannot even compete with him without help from someone.

But, who should I ask help from?

The two people in front of me might agree if I ask them.

However, if I rely entirely on these two people, it will not be a game between me and Yuuto.

I want them to help me create an opportunity.

That person should be the only one who can create a connection between me and the current students.

“I understand the whole story of your candidacy and how you handled it afterwards, so how are you going to deal with that clunker of a prince, Shinra-kun?”

“A clunker…”

What a wonderful naming sense.

I was put into silence, but I quickly stated my answer to her question.

“I’ll bring Shiraishi over here.”

“Shiraishi-san?”

Shizuku asks back at my proposal.

Her expression was a little grim, perhaps in response to the fact that her name wasn’t mentioned first…

Next to her, Kirasaka was glaring at me silently.

Why do these children suddenly become so scary?

“There are things I want you two to help me with, but if I ask you two to help me with everything, it’ll be you two versus Yuuto, not me, that’s why it’s Shiraishi.”

Regardless of the outcome of Shiraishi and Koizumi, if they can bring in the next student council members, they will have a big impact.　

If the next student council president is in support, there will be at least a bit of interest.

That’s how you have to start using short, thin connections to get recognized a little by little at a time to compete.

But …the biggest problem is that there’s not something that someone has ever faced in the past.

There is only one person in this school who has the potential to bring everything I assume to nothingness.

“Can we go somewhere for a minute?”

“?”

“I don’t mind.”

I told them that and left the classroom with my bag.

Shizuku and Kirasaka also followed.

I moved from the second building to the first building for the seniors and walked up the stairs to the front of the heavy door.

I wonder how that person, who is supposed to be in this building, would judge my action.

It is meaningless. No matter what or how I think, I can’t predict it.

“…”

I take a step forward and knock on the door a few times.

Voices inside this thick, soundproofed door cannot be heard down the hallway.

So, before waiting for a reply, I put my hand on the door and pulled it open.

“…Excuse me.”

After greeting, I turned my gaze to my usual seat.

It is the seat where the head of this room sits.

There was a woman sitting there as a matter of course.

With a smile on her face she sat there as if she knew we were coming.

“Shinra, Kanazaki and Rei are with you this time. Sit down for now and I’ll go get some tea.”

I sat down on my seat and the two behind me sat down on the guest’s sofa when urged.

The president opened her mouth when the cold barley tea that she had brought from the back of the room had been passed around to everyone.

“What interesting story are you going to tell me today?”

The sunlight shining through the window made the president’s light brown hair shine even brighter.

The unique presence she exudes and the way she stands there raises the tension to another level.

It was not only me but also Shizuku and Kirasaka too.

They too looked a bit more stiff than usual.

…Please don’t expect something.

To the senpai, whom even Kirasaka could not get her head around, I started speaking with a wry smile.

I started explaining the conversation we had just had to the senpai who was looking at me expectantly.