CH 186

<TL>: Author notes contained something about promotion of an app to support him, y’all don’t need to worry about that, it’s been discontinued a long time ago from what I could find.

He also promoted his twitter account, he occasionally posts about this novel there, so I’ll leave a link to it here.

Also, sorry for not being able to post yesterday, I’ll try compensate for it if I find time.

For a few months, I have been waiting for regularly at one-sided appointment at a cafe in front of the station.

There is no one beside me as I sit across a small table in the store.

I had Shizuku and Kirasaka waiting for me at a little distance.

As I looked out the window at the aisle on the school side, I saw a familiar figure running toward me.

The figure approached the cafe and checked the interior from the outside from a distance before quietly entering.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“No, it’s bad of me to ask you so suddenly too…”

Having immediately caught her eye since I was sitting by the window, Shiraishi came into the store and sat across me.

As she did so, she looked around the restaurant to spot Shizuku and Kirasaka, and she did not forget to bow to them.

The waiter walked upto us to confirm our order, I ordered an iced coffee and waited for it to arrive.

As Shiraishi moistened her throat after putting in the gum syrup in the coffee that she received and waited for me to start the story.

“Can I expect something from senpai at this time?”

“…I can just say that I think it’s completely different from what you’re expecting.”

I couldn’t talk about it in detail in a crowd, but I must have given her expectations, so I’ll tell her now.

Shiraishi didn’t seem disappointed about that and proceeded to listen to my story casually.

“So, what are we talking about?”

“Aah…”

I was thinking about how to proceed, but there was no use in prolonging the explanation, so I just stated the conclusion.

“Me and Yuuto have decided to run in the election …for the same position.”

“Heh…”

Shiraishi sips her coffee as if she were leisurely enjoying the aroma.

A smile on her lips showed her composure, but I soon knew otherwise.

“What? Eh? Election? …Eh, hey, you —are you stupid!?”

“I was going to say you…”

The coffee that should have been in her mouth, spilled out, leaving her with an astonished face.

Unforeseen circumstances are just that.

I guess Shiraishi had anticipated what to expect when she came to this place in advance.

However, when I told her a story completely along different lines than she had expected, she reacted in the way I had imagined, to the point of being amusing.

I mean, it’s dirty.

Let’s drink properly, okay? I’m worried about your old age.

“With Ogiwara-senpai! No, there are plenty of positions to begin with, yet on the same one!”

“Well, of course it should be like that.”

It’s a natural question.

If I were in her situation, I would have asked the same question.

That said, I could only laugh bitterly because I knew what she was trying to say.

“You’re an idiot, You’re an idiot, you’re really an idiot.”

“You’re a hippo.”   <TL: lmao>

“…”

…Just kidding.

The silence was painful not only because of the cold stare directed at me from Shiraishi, but also because it included one from a little distance away too.

We have to be serious and keep the conversation serious.

“I know you have a lot to say, but for now, just listen.”

“Wa wa…”

After saying this, Shiraishi took another sip of coffee, perhaps to calm herself, and straightened her posture.

After confirming this, I briefly and with a great deal of abbreviation told her about what had happened so far.

“So, you know… it’s like a fight that I cannot lose, and it’s a man-to-man kind of thing. That’s the gist of it?”

“No, I can’t understand it at all, I mean, how can anyone understand what you just described?”

Come on it’s not that difficult, why’re you looking at me like I’m some kind of weirdo?

To say that your senpai at the high school are arguing and then fighting in the student council elections in a battle of wills is a bit embarrassing.

I glanced at the seats away from me and saw two figures with blatantly disappointed shoulders.

“I’m talking purely about winning and losing elections.”

“W-Well, if Shinra-senpai is okay with it, then it’s not really my place to interject…”

Then she clammed up, as if reluctant to say so.

I guess Shiraishi, who has been campaigning until now, has her own point of view.

Without any rush, she opened her mouth modestly, waiting for me to continue.

“…You’ll lose, maybe.”

“…Maybe.”

I leaned back and looked away from Shiraishi.

Outside the window, a very normal everyday life unfolds.

If you showed these people the pictures and asked them which one they would vote for, the result would be the same.

It was easy to imagine that they would vote for Yuuto in nine out of ten cases.

Shiraishi seemed to think that I had called her to give this briefing, and she was searching for words.

Whether it was comforting or encouraging, I don’t know.

However, that’s not all that I’m here to say.

“So, now onto the topic I called you for.”

“Is there something else?”

Maybe she didn’t want to hear it, she kept her face down.

At this time she probably didn’t want to hear about any more troublesome matters.

From her point of view, she would want to focus all her attention on the presidential election that was coming up at the end of the week.

Therefore, I should first eliminate this groundless fear.

With that in mind, I put it into words.

“What I want to ask you to do is after the election, so you really don’t have to worry about it until then.”

“…”

‘Really?’ I felt as if she was asking that tome with her gaze.

Whether or not she wants to hear the rest of this story, that is her choice.

She can leave at this point since I cannot force her to do anything.

However, if she is willing to listen to me, I have expectations, and I promise to cooperate with her requests within the limits of what is possible, as a matter of course.

That is one reason I did not deny her expectations at the beginning of the conversation.

Shiraishi sighs as if she has given up, as if the meeting has come to an end.

Then, taking out a scheduler and notepad from her bag, she nodded as if urging me to talk.

“Simply put, I’d like to ask for your help in the elections.”

“Is that in terms of manpower? Or do you mean in terms of votes?”

“To tell you the truth, it’s both, but if I had to say which, I’d say it’s the personnel …or Shiraishi’s connections to be exact.”

I don’t belong to any clubs or committees and I have no connections with other grades.

If third years are not involved in the elections, then I should devote my efforts to making connections with first years.

I am sorry to say but Hino-kun is not in a position where I can expect much from him, so it is inevitable that I will have to rely on Shiraishi.

This is similar to how Shiraishi used the connection between me and Shizuku and the others before.

This alone is not enough of an advantage for her to change her mind about wanting to join Yuuto’s side.

So, before she could utter anything, I picked up a pen on the tabletop.

At the same time, I took out an appropriate printout from my bag and wrote down the numbers on the back side.

“I assume that the current presidential election is expected to be about a 50-50 split, although this is just my personal opinion.”

“Yes, but …it’s leaning a little more towards Koizumi-senpai.”

“So, what’s the reason according to you?”

This is a question from me to Shiraishi.

To which Shiraishi nodded and continued naturally.

“It’s the difference in our popularity.”

“No, it’s the difference in your language.”

I immediately dismissed her opinion.

I said this without losing my aggressive gaze because this was my personal opinion as I stated earlier.

Shiraishi looked displeased with my reaction, but she seemed to have decided to accept it as a valuable opinion and remained silent.

“The fact that you both are competing well till the last day of the campaign means that the outcome could very well change depending on the speeches on the day of the election. And the difference in votes between Koizumi and Shiraishi could be due to the random votes of students who don’t care about the election.”

“Haa…”

Student elections are popularity rankings.

There is no doubt about this.

However, for the students who are not interested in the election, it doesn’t matter what the popularity ranking is, they will put in the name they know when they have to choose which one to put in.

How many of those votes you can get depends on your speech on that day.

That is why language makes a difference.

The ones that make a good impression and the ones that do not…

Being a near indifferent guy myself, I know that pretty words don’t resonate with them.

Rather, they are more likely to create a bad impression.

Koizumi is cautious with his words, for better or worse.

He chooses his words with consideration for the people around him, so as not to give at least a bad impression to any person he meets.

This is the reason he does not leave a strong impression, but Shiraishi is different.

She is straightforward, right to the point of being really annoying.

I felt it so much in my first meeting with her.

A correct way of thinking is a prerequisite for an election, but students are at an age when they tend to take it in a twisted way.

It may be just a rough figure.

The number I wrote down based on what I thought, it was 200 to 200.

“I think it might be okay to think this is the current situation.”

I circled around the remaining numbers, about fifty, and looked at her for a reaction.

It’s psychological warfare from here.

Get her on board and focus her attention on the election.

The results would determine which side she would side with.

“Do you know what you’re going to say in your speech?”

“In case you need to know, I have a copy…”

She said and held out the copied sheets of paper.

I checked the contents from above, marked a few words, and handed it back to her.

“Excellent, well-liked, popular, …these kinds of words might be better used at a minimum, …excessive praise is counterproductive.”

“…I see.”

“Students who have already decided which way they’re going to vote by today are unlikely to shift their votes after days of speeches, so one last bad move is going to be to change who they’re paying attention to.”

I’d like to add one last thing, and that’s to finish what I’ve been saying.

It is not at all certain or reliable information, just my personal opinion.

There is no need to go along with it, but I have to use it accordingly to get onto to the negotiations, otherwise I would not even be able to step into the ring.

As long as Shiraishi admires Yuuto’s ability, I would have to present the merits of my recommendation, even if it’s in a different direction.

“And, well, that’s all I wanted to talk about here, …I’ll leave the rest of the decision up to you.”

“Eh, are you done?”

“It’s over. …I’m not asking you to give me an answer today. For now, let’s just meet up with the rest.”

The two girls sitting where my finger was pointing seemed to be having rather a unusual conversation.

As I stood up with the slip in my luggage, Shiraishi looked up at me and gave me a surprised look.

“Senpai, so you can talk that long, can’t you?”

“Is that your impression of me…”

I was a fool to expect even the slightest word of praise.

I sighed and proceeded to lead the way, and she hurriedly followed behind me.

For Shiraishi, it was the last weekend before the day of judgment.

What was an ordinary weekend for me, must have been two days full of anticipation and anxiety for her.

But, the hours of the day remain the same.

Morning comes, afternoon passes, evening comes, and night comes.

Thus, the two days passed in the blink of an eye, and at last the day of the presidential election arrived.