After confirming that Takuma-san had left, we returned to the manor we called home.
"It feels like it’s been forever, somehow."
I looked up at the manor from the garden.
I hadn’t even been away for two weeks, yet a wave of nostalgia washed over me. At some point, this manor had become just as important to me as my old home—a place where I truly belonged.
The scenery of the grounds looked fresher than usual, too. Perhaps it was because I’d been gone for ten days... or perhaps it was because I was a different person now.
"Hinako, how do you become an officer for the Student Council at Kikou Academy?" I asked her as we stepped inside.
"Do you... want to join?"
"No, it’s not like I’ve thought it through that far, but..."
If I intended to become an executive of the Konohana Group, building a track record at Kikou Academy was undoubtedly the right move. However, that didn't mean I had to blindly follow the path Takuma-san had laid out for me. Especially now that I understood his true nature, I couldn't bring myself to trust him unconditionally.
Takuma-san had said he would defer to me if I found a superior option.
In other words—there was a chance I would have to go head-to-head with Takuma-san in the future.
I would have to derive a plan better than his. I wouldn't just be competing with him in thought; I’d be competing in terms of execution, resources, and status.
(...It might have been easier if he were just a straightforward villain.)
Takuma-san was the type to listen to reason. That was why he had engaged in that debate with Kagen-san and ultimately accepted a defeat he clearly found distasteful.
Which meant the only way to overturn his decisions was to beat him in a fair fight using a direct approach. Takuma-san wasn't the type to get his hands dirty with crimes, so it was pointless to hope for him to self-destruct.
He was a wall far too high to scale. But as a stepping stone to help me clear that wall, aiming for the Student Council at Kikou Academy felt like a solid goal.
"Oh, come to think of it, Tennoji-san seemed interested in the Student Council too."
"Tennoji-san..."
At the mention of Tennoji-san’s name, Hinako’s expression clouded over for some reason.
"...Itsuki."
"Yeah?"
Hinako stopped in her tracks and lowered her gaze.
Eventually, however, she clenched her small fists and looked up at me, her eyes burning with resolve.
"I... I won't lose to anyone."
Hinako's face turned bright red as she made her declaration.
...Lose what, exactly? And to whom?
I was still wondering what she meant when she turned on her heel with a tense expression.
"That's... all!"
With that, Hinako marched away.
I assumed she was heading for her room, but she immediately took a wrong turn and came to a halt. A nearby maid noticed Hinako standing there in embarrassed silence and began to guide her.
Shizune-san and I stood there in stunned silence, watching Hinako’s retreating back, her ears flushed bright red.
"...I wonder if Hinako is also interested in the Student Council."