The Student Council members sat in stunned silence as the reality of our strength as explorers sank in. Eventually, they regained their composure and resumed the discussion.
"For now, I have a decent grasp of your capabilities," Hisamatsu-senpai said. "But that doesn't guarantee they'll suddenly fall in line."
"No, you're right about that."
It was true. No matter how massive the gap in power might be, some people simply let their emotions drive them to pick fights. And just because we possessed that power didn't mean we could use it without limit in every situation. Unless we were acting in clear self-defense, we’d be the ones branded as criminals.
"That's why I'm planning to make a statement at the sports festival," I said.
"The sports festival... Oh, do you mean the inter-club relay?"
"Yes. There aren't many events that draw the attention of the entire student body quite like that one. If we show a bit of what we can do there, it should serve as an effective deterrent."
"I see... Making your strength visible might indeed make them think twice about crossing you."
Hisamatsu-senpai and the others looked thoughtful, clearly coming around to the idea. I decided to press on with a specific proposal.
"On that note, I have a favor to ask. Would that be alright?"
"Um... Kokonoe-kun, wasn't it? What kind of favor?"
The council members shifted their attention from Yuji to me.
"Before the inter-club relay starts, there’s usually time for each club to line up and be introduced, right?"
"Yes, there is."
It was a brief window—less than thirty seconds—where an announcer read the appeal statement each club had submitted. Clubs would wear their respective uniforms and try to stand out, but since it was handled like an assembly line, the introductions rarely left a lasting impression.
"Could you give us a little extra time for a performance action then?"
"...A performance action?"
"Yes. Simply running the relay and taking first place is just a feat of athleticism. If we include a demonstration during the introduction, it becomes a show of force."
If we just ran fast, the takeaway would be that we were athletic. That wouldn't serve as much of a warning. It would be a wasted opportunity.
"A demonstration?"
"A mock battle... stage combat, I mean. I want to show everyone what we look like when we’re actually fighting. I think the students who want to join us would also feel more secure if they saw our strength for themselves."
Hisamatsu-senpai rested her chin on her hand, considering my words.
"I see your point. Even if they understand the poster, they might not feel safe enough to actually join unless they see proof of your strength."
"Exactly. Most of the first-years are terrified of the Repeating Students and are too scared to speak up. Unless we prove we can protect them, they won't have the courage to join us, no matter how much they hate what’s happening."
"The power to protect them in a crisis... Yes, demonstrating that is necessary."
Hisamatsu-senpai looked contemplative again, and the other council members followed suit.
"Jojima-kun, is it possible to add time for the kind of performance action Kokonoe-kun is suggesting?"
"Well... we can't give them special treatment. If we give every participating club equal time for an appeal, it might be difficult based on the number of entries. If we gave each club just one minute, we'd need nearly thirty minutes in total."
"Thirty minutes... That’s a bit much for the schedule. Between the later events and the cleanup..."
While Hisamatsu-senpai and Jojima-senpai were debating the logistics, a male student on the council raised his hand.
"Um... Hisamatsu-senpai? Can I say something?"
"What is it, Maruyama-kun?"
"If giving each club individual time is too hard, why not set aside a few minutes for a collective performance instead?"
"Oh!"
Hisamatsu-senpai and Jojima-senpai both clapped their hands in realization.
"Of course! We don't need to do it individually. We can just give the whole group a block of time."
"True. That way, every club gets an equal chance to show off."
"Yes. A few minutes total won't mess with the program too much, and we won't get criticized for giving one group special treatment."
It looked like things were moving in the right direction.
Hisamatsu-senpai immediately huddled with the other council members to hammer out the details. We were just... left standing there. They seemed to have forgotten we were even in the room as they dove into a lively debate.
When they finally reached a consensus, Hisamatsu-senpai turned back and looked flustered to see us still waiting patiently.
Phew, she finally noticed us.
"Oh! I'm so sorry. We got carried away."
"Don't worry about it. You're considering a request we made, so we don't mind waiting at all."
"I see... Thank you."
"Not at all."
She looked a bit embarrassed, but I assured her it was fine. We were the ones asking for a favor, after all; no sense in being rude and ruining the mood.
Finally, Hisamatsu-senpai delivered their verdict.
"We've decided to negotiate with the school to set aside five minutes before the relay for a collective performance involving all participating clubs."
"Thank you very much!"
Success.
As we sighed in relief, she added one more thing with a slight frown.
"Keep in mind, this is just the Student Council's stance. The school might still reject the proposal."
"We understand. Even just proposing it for us is a huge help."
"Fortunately, the inter-club relay is the first event of the afternoon session, so it should be easier to adjust."
She was right—retooling the schedule in the middle of a session is a nightmare. Being the first event of the afternoon was a lucky break.
Our discussion had covered everything from the true intent of the poster to future plans. When I checked the clock, I realized how much time had passed. Lunch break was almost over. If we didn't leave soon, we'd be late for class.
"Hisamatsu-senpai, lunch is almost over. Is it alright if we head back to class?"
"Oh? Ah, you're right. Of course. You shouldn't be late for your lessons."
"Thank you."
We gave a quick bow. Just as we reached the door to the Student Council Room, Hisamatsu-senpai called out one last time.
"Wait. There's one last thing I want to ask."
"What is it?"
She fixed us with a sharp, heavy gaze. Her voice was firm, and the atmosphere in the room grew tense—she was looking for nothing but the absolute truth.
"Once the Repeating Student problem is resolved... what do you intend to do with the massive organization you’ll have built?"
Her wariness was justified. If everything went according to plan, we would likely become the most influential group in the school. The Student Council was naturally worried that we would simply become the next generation of troublemakers.
We exchanged a glance before Yuji stepped forward to answer.
"We don't intend to do anything with it. Ideally, once the problem is gone, we'd like to shrink back down to our original size."
"...You’d give up that level of influence?"
"Yes. We have no interest in titles like that. The only reason we're building this up is because we believe it's necessary to stop the Repeating Students. Once their influence is dismantled, we won't have any need for something so troublesome."
The more people you have, the more problems you have. Once the common goal was achieved, the group would likely lose its cohesion and become unmanageable. It was better to downsize to a controllable level while we still had the reins.
Besides, none of us had the energy or the desire to maintain a massive organization long-term. People can be decent as individuals, but as soon as they gather in a crowd, they start doing stupid things. Moderation is key.
"...For now, I'll take your word for it."
"If possible, it would actually help us if the Student Council could assist with the Dismantling of the group when the time comes."
Yuji's offer to let them intervene must have been unexpected. Hisamatsu-senpai dropped her guard, looking at him with wide-eyed surprise.
"...You’re okay with that?"
"Yes. We believe that having an external force—the Student Council—intervene will make it much easier to dissolve the group."
Once the goal was met, plenty of people would leave on their own if they knew the Student Council was breathing down our necks. We could essentially use the council as a convenient excuse to encourage members to quit.
...I mean, considering we're essentially pre-planning the dissolution with the council, it was the perfect "match-pump" staged conflict.
"I understand. In that case, we'll certainly cooperate."
"Thank you. We appreciate the help."
"Don't mention it. Honestly, we didn't want a bloated organization like that hanging around forever anyway, so this works out perfectly for us. The last thing we wanted was for you to turn into a second organized menace. Knowing the core members will help us dismantle it is exactly what we were hoping for."
It seemed we were on the same page there, too.
The tension in the room finally broke, replaced by a friendly, collaborative atmosphere. We all shared a few smiles.
"Haha, then we'll put our all into resolving the problem."
"If there's anything else we can do, come talk to us. We'll help however we can."
"Thank you. We won't hesitate to reach out."
"Just take it easy on us, okay?"
"Will do."
After the council members nodded to each other, we opened the door and gave our final farewells.
"Sorry again for calling you here so suddenly during lunch."
"No problem at all. If you'll excuse us."
Yuji closed the door behind us.
Phew. For a second there, I thought things might go south, but we managed to pull through.
As we walked back to our classroom, we discussed how the meeting had gone. The first thing to be brought up was the performance time I'd suggested.
"Still, Daiki, I'm glad your proposal went through—at least with the council."
"Yeah," Hiiragi-san agreed. "I was worried just running the relay wouldn't be enough of an appeal, so potentially getting that performance time is a huge win. It really does pay to ask."
"Definitely. I didn't think they'd agree so easily."
I scratched my cheek, admitting I was just as surprised as them.
"Maybe the shock from the poster was just that strong? It might have clouded their judgment a bit."
"You might be right," Yuji laughed. "Hisamatsu-senpai and the others were definitely shaken. I almost feel a little guilty, like we exploited a gap in their defenses."
I remembered their expressions when they realized the monster in the picture was a big bear. Yeah, they were definitely rattled. It wouldn't be surprising if that made them more agreeable to our suggestions.
"Regardless, securing the Student Council's cooperation for the Repeating Student issue is huge."
"True. Having the school and the council in our corner will make things much smoother."
"Definitely."
We now had the best possible backup within the school. All that remained was to execute the plan correctly. We had to make this work.
"And... here we are."
Before I knew it, we were back at the classroom door.
Time to buckle down for the afternoon lessons.