After finishing my business in the restroom, I was headed back to the classroom when I spotted a bizarre trio standing in front of the door. It was that group of girls from earlier, including the blonde one. They were hunched over, peeking through a narrow gap in Class C’s sliding door. Their uniforms all sported the same tie color as the first-years. They probably weren't doing anything malicious, but a group of girls led by a blonde acting this shifty was enough to set off alarm bells.
Look, the context here was completely different from the hallway outside the Student Council Room. People usually passed through here constantly. It just so happened that, at this particular moment, it was only me and these three. Besides, Yuuki-senpai wasn’t even in this class. Yet here they were, hunched over like stalkers—wait, hunched over?
...H-hoh? Now that I looked closer, those angles were either quite precarious or not at all... This was bad. My legs refused to move. Why, you ask? Perhaps I’d been mentally exhausted lately, and my instincts were gently whispering to me to heal my soul.
It couldn't be helped... I’d have to use my trump card—the Cow-Pace Strategy...!!
"So that woman is 'Natsukawa Aika'..."
"What do you want with Natsukawa?"
"Hyahhh!!?"
"Kyahhh!!?"
"—!!?"
Wait, what did this woman just say? Natsukawa? It was already enough that I had to keep an eye on her because of her bad blood with Nee-chan, but now she was targeting Natsukawa? Should I tie her to the back of a bike and drag her around the field? Huh? I’ll pour black hair dye all over that blonde head of yours, you punk.
"Ah-uff... cough...! C-could you please not speak to me from behind so suddenly!?"
"...Ah."
I snapped back to reality the moment she talked back. Oh? Why did I talk to her...? I knew this would be a pain. I'd reacted way too strongly to the name "Natsukawa." Good grief, was I still that obsessed with her? ...Well, I suppose I was, wasn't I?
I needed to stay calm. Now that I’d come to my senses, this was my "Attack Chance" to break through the situation. Wait, I probably shouldn't "attack," right?
Right, just act normal. A normal approach. I’d already run into this blonde girl once in front of the Student Council Room. She didn't seem to have a good impression of Nee-chan, so I’d hide my nameplate and keep things peaceful, peaceful... Did I use mock-polite speech last time?
"It has been a while, Ojou-sama."
"E-eh...? Oh... Have we... met somewhere before...?"
"We met once in front of the Student Council Room. At the time, you were peeking inside with a troubled look on your fac—"
"Waah! Waah! Waah!"
"The sight of you peeking inside really left a lasting impression!!"
"Why would you say that!?"
Stalking is wrong. Absolutely. I would not yield... I shall broadcast the villain’s cruelty to the world...! And by doing so, I’ll expose the blushing faces of many beautiful girls to the light of day!! Fuhihihihi!
"Marika-san... went to the Student Council Room? Weren't you meeting with Yuuki-sama...?"
"Yeah... I heard they were fiancés."
"T-that’s right! As his fiancée, I, Marika, must stay by Hayato-sama’s side! At that time, we were, well, having lunch together..."
"For someone who says that, you seemed to be—the Vice President—"
"Waah! Waah!"
The blonde girl hopped up and down, trying to block me. She was starting to look less like a suspicious person and more like... a comedian? You’re kind of a funny one, aren't you?
Wait, was the fact that she disliked Nee-chan supposed to be a secret? Usually, in these situations, the rival character brings a whole crowd of lackeys to openly denounce their target, right? This was unexpected.
Come to think of it, Nee-chan’s encounter with the K4 happened over a year before we even enrolled. It might be too late for a rival character to show up now. Besides, Nee-chan was two years older than her.
"G-gununu... As expected of the 'East' side. Unlike the 'West' side, you don’t have a shred of consideration for a lady... This is why I detest those from commoner households who don’t know the first thing about socializing!"
"Huh?"
Putting aside the commoner household stuff... East side? West side? What on earth was she talking about? Does this school have that kind of discrimination? I mean, the main building is divided into East and West across the central courtyard... was there some rule about not stepping onto the other side?
While I was stuck on the blonde girl’s words, the door the three of them had been peeking through suddenly slid open.
"Hyahhh!?"
"—What are you doing, you..."
"What’s up, Sajocchi?"
"Eh? Natsukawa? And Ashida?"
"You’re so easy to read, Sajocchi. Hmm?"
The three girls were startled, Natsukawa looked exasperated, and Ashida was smiling while being low-key pissed, with me caught in the middle.
Now that I thought about it, we had been getting a bit loud. As soon as Natsukawa opened the door and our eyes met, she gave me a dubious look. That look I hadn't seen in a while... I’ll take it!
"What exactly is going on here?"
"These three said they had business with you, so I decided to get involved."
"Stop acting like a delinquent..."
How rude. She must have thought I went there to pick a fight. Even though my instincts drove me to get involved to protect Natsukawa... looking at how small-time they seemed, that might not have even been necessary.
"Guh... N-Natsukawa Aika-san! I have business with you!"
"Um... and that is?"
"Just because you have excellent grades at second in the year and are a little bit adorable—... You really are quite adorable, aren’t you..."
"Eh, ah, thank you..."
Nice!
It was a weird turn of events, but I almost gave her a thumbs-up. Maybe it was because I always saw Ashida and Natsukawa flirting, but my tastes were starting to lean in a certain direction. It was a great honor to witness this from such a close distance. This push-and-pull, blushing dynamic was just... yeah.
"I-I, the number one in the year, shall grant you—who has slightly good grades—the right to support me, Shinonome Claudine Marika!"
"E-eh?"
"Why don't you support her?"
"Eh? Uh... Good luck!"
"Nooo! That is not what I meant!!"
"Ow, sorry, I'm sorry."
For some reason, I was the one who got slapped repeatedly. Well, I was messing around. But Chromarty! You’ve got one thing wrong! Natsukawa isn't "a little bit" cute, she’s extremely cute!! She's incredibly great!!
Chromarty cleared her throat with a "Ahem!" to compose herself, then faced Natsukawa again and pointed a finger sharply at her. I kind of wanted to snap it backward.
"You shall support me so that I may become the next Student Council President!!"
"Eh, Student Council President...? Can a first-year even become the Student Council President?"
"—I shall explain!"
"Whoa!?"
One of Chromarty’s followers, a girl with perfectly straight black hair, stepped forward. Chromarty puffed out her chest as if to say, "Go ahead and tell them," which was strangely irritating. But for some reason, I had a feeling she’d self-destruct even if I did nothing.
"Any position in the Student Council is open to recommendations or candidacy, regardless of whether one is a first or second-year. That free-spirited school tradition extends to election activities as well; essentially, the student who garners the most votes is elected."
"Nice one, Walking Student Handbook."
"Fufun."
"K-Kaoruko-san...? I do not believe that was a compliment."
Despite the lack of emotion in my voice, Kaoruko-san looked surprisingly pleased. Well, I got it. When you’re giving a serious explanation, it’s nice when someone actually gives you a response. I felt like I'd been there before.
"Even so, first-years are fundamentally at a disadvantage. The longer one spends at a school, the better they understand its pros and cons, and there is an atmosphere among the students that the representative should be an upperclassman. Because of that, it is basically difficult for a first-year to win a post."
"An atmosphere, huh..."
It’s the way of the world that those who can’t read the room get ostracized... I got that, but was there anyone else who would actually want to take on a troublesome role like Student Council President? Oh, wait, I might know one person.
"Isn’t Kai-senpai going to do it...?"
"It seems that person has stated he will not become the Student Council President. If that is true, then currently, there are no seniors who stand out in both name and prestige."
"Heh."
Kai-senpai wasn't going to be the President. Thinking about it that way, it really was a mystery who the next President would be. I didn't really have much interaction with the second-years to begin with.
"Still, there are about 240 second-years... candidates will surely appear when the time comes. That is precisely why I must gather supporters before then... in order to become the next Student Council President."
I see; I didn't think her way of thinking was bad. An average high schooler doesn't think seriously about school matters, and no one would show interest even if you made a great campaign pledge on the spot. In a situation like that, what would garner the most votes would be—name recognition. If you just sell your name and get everyone to remember your face and name, the students will vote for that candidate for the time being.
The one who can become everyone's idol wins. That’s usually how student elections go.
Like scandals and such...