CH 199

The students gave Yuuto a generous round of applause as he stepped up on the stage.

The entire gymnasium gradually fell silent as he stood in front of the microphone, which was illuminated by the lights.

[I am Ogiwara Yuuto of Class 3, Year 2, thank you for giving me this opportunity to speak here today.]

After a short greeting, he bowed his head.

He then raised his eyes and then scanned the entire gymnasium from left to right.

[When I ran for the election, I looked back on the days since I entered school. The cultural festival, the sports festival, and the long vacation were all filled with happy memories.]

Yuuto’s smiling face is projected on the screen behind him through a camera installed at the edge of the platform.

The students sitting right below listened to his words without uttering a single word.

Even from behind the stage, I could tell that the students were serious.

[So I thought, if I could make this pleasant high school life even better…]

He sounded as if he was speaking in the past tense and not in the present.

The eyes that were supposed to be on the students surrounding the stage are now directed towards me at the back of the stage.

[The first time I saw him, I thought, ‘I’m sure we share the same feelings of enjoyment… however small or large they might be.’]

The gymnasium buzzed slightly at the words, which sounded like a premonition.

The students did not understand what Yuuto was trying to say or what he was trying to convey.

I guess the misunderstanding refers to what I said in the classroom after school when Yuuto and I declared my candidacy to him.

[Before I tell you about the student council I’m aiming for, there’s something I want to tell you all.]

He turned his gaze from the side to the students in front of him.

With a serious expression of determination, Yuuto announced his next words to the students.

[If you’re thinking of voting according to the opinions of those around you, not your own will, but because people around you are choosing Ogiwara, please do not vote for me.]

The gymnasium buzzed even more.

Perhaps it was because the majority of the students in this room fell into this category.

There are many students who want to vote for Yuuto because he is popular and well-liked.

However, there must have been a feeling among the students that they were voting for him because he is their friend, because everyone else is choosing him…

That is not a wrong choice for students who do not want to be different from those around them.

If there is a possibility that relationships will be broken later, going with the flow is one choice.

However, Yuuto denied that.

[Maybe my friends would say the same thing if they were in a similar situation, …so listen to what I and Shinra, who will follow, have to say and make your own decision.]

From every word, I could sense consideration for our side.

Not a popularity contest, but a choice of who is more suitable, after carefully listening to their words, almost as if he wanted that too.

[My goal is to make the school a place where students can truly enjoy themselves, it doesn’t matter how they perceive it, I just want to make it a place where they can feel somewhere in their hearts that it is fun.]

Returning again to the topic of student council election, Yuuto begins to talk about the student council he is aiming for.

A school where students can enjoy themselves, that is indeed a wonderful idea.

It is simple and clear to the students, and it motivates them to vote.

[There are of course many issues to be addressed, such as reviewing the content of events, re-selecting the content of school events, clarifying complaints from the students’ perspective, etc., one by one, and then discussing and resolving these issues with the school.]

Of course, that’s not all.

The problems are too much to list, and the goal of creating a school where students can enjoy themselves, which sounds simple enough in words, is a difficult one.

It is impossible to achieve this goal without the determination to interact with the entire student.

[Perhaps it will be a little boring for the students who are having the most fun right now, …but I still think it’s important for everyone to feel a little fun somewhere inside.]

He looked a little apologetic.

But, at the end of the day, he gave the brightest smile of the day and told the whole school.

[I’m going to change the school starting from the student organization, and I think I can change it, so please vote for Ogiwara Yuuto if you want to!}

After saying this clearly, Yuuto bowed deeply.

The gymnasium gave Yuuto even more applause than at the beginning.

Then, Yuuto turned on his heel and disappeared from the stage.

The applause did not cease until the very end.

“…Good job.”

“Thanks… haa.”

I said just one word to Yuuto, who had moved backstage.

Perhaps the release of tension had caused fatigue, and he sat up and let out a big sigh that he had been holding in.

I thought about saying something to him, but decided to leave when I saw the girl who gave the support speech run up to him.

It’s my turn next. This is no time to be worrying about others.

I did a final check in front of the mirror and walked toward the stage after confirming that my name was called out in the announcement.

“Minato… you be yourself.”

I heard Yuuto’s voice from behind me.

I could imagine the expression on his face without having to look back.

He must have a look on his face like when he is making fun of someone with a twisted mouth.

I answered him by raising my hand and started walking toward the illuminated stage.

“I am Shinra Minato of Class 3, Year 2.”

When the applause died down and the place became quiet, I introduced myself and told them my name.

Then I gave a small bow.

With my head returned to the front and the entire school spread out in front of me, I could see that they were looking at me less expectantly than they did at Yuuto’s.

On the other hand, I was relieved because it’s hard to do something when people have excessive expectations of you.

“I’d like to start by telling you all about the position of the assistant to the president I’m aiming for.”

After a roundabout explanation of my goals, I decided to begin by explaining my vision for the position of assistant to the president, so as not to make the introduction too long and difficult to understand.

“As you can guess from the name, it’s to assist the president …that’s it.”

…Yes, that’s all.

This was not because I was out of touch or because it would be tedious to explain, but because I genuinely thought that about it.

From the beginning, I did not prepare an exemplary speech that would be accepted by everyone.

The students looked at me suspiciously. I have no choice by but to dismiss methodology this from now on.

“If you ask me, I or him who can make the school better, I think it’s definitely Ogiwara. Creating a school where everyone can have fun… is the ideal model of a student council member.”

It’s idealistic and, in my opinion, close to what the students desire.

It just feels like a stereotype that he can do it.

[…I’m not particularly good at anything, so I can assure you I cannot change the school.]

Yes, I can’t change anything.

I am not the person to push for change, either in terms of ability or in terms of thinking.

I am aware of it, and I am sure people around me see it that way.

After all, I can’t and don’t want to be in the front.

I am supposed to be in the background.

[But, if you ask me why I am so confident, I think I have a clear answer to that, the next student body president is Koizumi Shoichi, and the vice president is Shiraishi Momiji.]

Certainly, Yuuto has the ability to stand in front of the students and lead them.

However, he is not the one who should do it. It is Koizumi, the student body’s choice for the next student body president, and Shiraishi, the vice president.

[The two are more serious about the future of the school than anyone else, and we, the students, are the ones who chose to support them. …It is our duty as ‘assistants’ to believe in their ideas and support them.]

The students take it as if it is right and common sense that those who have the ability take the initiative to take action regardless of their position or title.

In this school, this view may be more common than among other high school students.

This is because there are too many students with abundant abilities.

There might be only one person in other schools, but in this school, there are three of them in one grade.

It has become ingrained in their thinking that if it is not me, they can handle it.

[The school will not get better just because Ogiwara Yuuto becomes the assistant. …Unless the students make an effort and take action to improve the school by themselves, the high school life will never be enjoyable for them.]

The creation of a school where all students can enjoy themselves, which Yuuto is trying to achieve, is not something that can be changed by an individual.

Leave it to others, and in the end, they will become dissatisfied and throw even that responsibility away.

We must not let them turn away from such a reality.

[There is a great person called Hiiragi Akane-senpai, and if we choose Ogiwara Yuuto next, even Koizumi and the others should be able to create a school better than last year’…If you have such a selfish delusion, you should throw it away immediately.]

A cold voice came from my depths, with the volume of my voice going down little by little.

The eyes that I am sure are also cold as I look at the students.

[If others create an enjoyable environment for us, there’s nothing easier than this, but it’s never going to be what we want… because this school has many talented students, so we abandon the idea of thinking for ourselves and impose responsibility in the name of leaving it to them. We’re affirming that.]

This is also a word to myself.

Until now, I have evaded responsibility by comparing my talent with theirs.

I was essentially the same as the students who surrounded Yuuto.

So this is a step toward changing ourselves.

[We need to change ourselves… So I’ll say it again, the position I ran for is assistant to the student body president and to support Koizumi… Helping to create a school that the head of the students they elected believes in. It’s the only job I can do.]

Finally, I bowed more deeply than I had at the start of my speech.

Keeping the same posture, I spoke the same words to the entire school again.

[We rely on them too much… and we need to graduate from that environment. So …please.]

[That concludes the election of student council members. Students please return to your classrooms and cast your votes as soon as the designated time—]

President announced the closing of the event, and the students left the gym one after another.

This was truly the last time.

We can no longer send out any messages to the students.

All I can do is wait for the voting to be over and accept the results.

To be honest, I don’t know who has the upper hand, me or Yuuto, and it would be a waste of effort to even think about it.

After watching the last person leave the gymnasium, I finally felt my shoulders relax.

With the sudden feeling of freedom and exhaustion that had come over me, I sat down on the chair where the students had been sitting earlier.

“Thanks for your hard work, the results are scheduled for after school, just like the presidential election. …Shall we all wait for the results together?”

“No, I’m going to listen to the results in a quiet place. After that I’ll go to the student council office.”

President asked this question as she peeked out from behind.

I wanted to wait for the results with everyone in the student council who had been helping me, but I also wanted to be in a quiet place where I could accept the situation.

With this in mind, I declined President’s offer and left the place.

I left the gymnasium with heavy steps, and to be honest, I don’t remember much after that.

I returned to the classroom and just waited for the after-school bell to ring.

I think I expended the most energy and effort in my whole life during this short period of time.

Perhaps it was a backlash from that, but my thought process stopped completely.

All I remember was when my homeroom teacher said the words to close HR.

The students in the class immediately flocked to gather around Yuuto, and I left the classroom alone to go to the rooftop as usual.

The stairs felt extraordinarily long, and the door to the rooftop felt heavy.

“…”

I entered the shade and sat down before looking up at the sky.

After a while, I heard two footsteps coming from the path I had come from, and I realized that they had sat down next to me without uttering a word.

I looked to the side and saw Shizuku smiling quietly, and Kirasaka was next to her, opening a paperback book as usual.

Quiet time was all the three of us had on the rooftop.

Then, as if to interrupt the silence, the sound of the school announcement rang out.

[The results of the Student Council Election for Assistant to the President will now be announced.]

As Shizuku clasped her hands together in prayer, Kirasaka closed the book in her hands and quietly closed her eyes.

I just looked up at the sky and waited for the next words.

[As a result of the votes, it is decided that Shinra Minato-san would be the Assistant to the Student Council President.]