I rubbed my tired eyes as I trudged toward school the next morning.
I'd been in a state of constant agitation since getting home yesterday, all thanks to Yuria leaving me hanging. Given the setup—just the two of us in a classroom after school—I was certain something incredible would have happened if Tanaka hadn't butt in. Dammit!
"Ryouta! Morning!"
As I walked along, fuming, Airi came jogging up from behind. Her massive chest bounced with every step as she called out to me.
"Morning, Airi. They—I mean, you—look as energetic as ever today."
"Yep! I’m in top form!" Airi chirped with a beaming smile.
One look at Airi's chest and my stress evaporated. They really did have a restorative effect. Truly a "Healing Pie."
"But more importantly, Ryouta! They're announcing the candidates for the student council president election today!"
Oh, right. That was today. I'd been so horny—no, irritated—all morning over my failed "thigh dive" yesterday that it had completely slipped my mind. I hadn't heard from Nozomi since our last talk. Had she decided to pull out after all?
"I wonder who ended up running?" Airi mused.
"You have a lot of connections, Airi. Do you know if anyone besides Rui is planning to stand?"
"Besides Rui-chan? Hmm..."
If even Airi couldn't think of anyone, there probably weren't any real rivals.
"Well, it'll probably just end up being a vote of confidence for Rui. The names are supposed to be posted on the school bulletin board, right? Let's hurry."
"Yeah, you're right!"
Airi and I picked up the pace, passing through the school gate and heading for the entrance. The bulletin board was located further inside, just past the shoe lockers. Given that every arriving student would likely stop to look, a crowd was inevitable. I wanted to get there before it got too bad, but...
"Wow... what a crowd..." Airi whispered.
The list must have already been updated, because the area around the board was swarming with students. The hallway was noisy, and the crowd showed no signs of dispersing. If Rui had been the only candidate, everyone would have just thought "as expected" and moved on. It wouldn't be this loud.
"Maybe someone other than Rui-chan registered!"
"T-That might be it."
Even so, there was a strange atmosphere in the air—an odd, unsettled feeling. After putting away my shoes, I moved toward the board with Airi.
My eyes landed on the list of candidates. They were listed in the order they had submitted their forms, so naturally, Rui Kuroki's name was at the very top. And right after her... to my surprise, was Nozomi Himesaki.
"Nozomi..."
So she went through with it. No matter how I looked at it, the only person who could even hope to rival Rui was Nozomi, the most popular girl in the freshman class—wait. Hold on a second.
While I was processing Nozomi's candidacy, I noticed there was another name further down the list.
"Wait. Tana... Kanade Tanaka?"
It was a name just as familiar as Rui's. Better yet, it was a name I'd seen on every class roster since junior high. Wait—what?!
This had to be some kind of mistake. It didn't make sense. There was no world in which a name like hers belonged on the same list as Rui Kuroki and Nozomi Himesaki. They were polar opposites.
"Eh! Wha—Ry-Ryouta! Look at the last name!"
"Kanade Tanaka... is it... just someone with the same name?"
"But the class is listed right there! It's the one next to ours!"
"No, but still..."
My brain flatly refused to accept that the Tanaka I knew was the Tanaka on that board. Tanaka, running for office? I had to be having a nightmare. That was it—this was definitely a dream.
To check if I was dreaming, I immediately fixed my eyes on Airi’s massive chest. As always, they possessed a volume that felt like it would overflow from any hand that tried to hold them. No... that kind of three-dimensionality definitely wasn't a dream.
I snapped back to reality and looked at the board again. Tanaka had certainly been acting like she was plotting something lately. To think it was this...
"Who is this Tanaka person?" one student asked.
"No idea," another replied.
"Hmm, with a name like that, is it a guy?"
Tanaka was generating more of a buzz than Rui or Nozomi, even though those two were the stars of their respective grades. Nobody knew who she was. This was beyond reckless. She was the textbook definition of a Loner who tries to stand out only to bomb miserably.
"Tanaka-chan is so brave," Airi said, looking impressed. "To have the guts to go up against Rui-chan... I could never do that."
It sounded like she was directing those words toward herself. When we'd talked at Snoto the other day, she had wondered aloud what it would be like if she ran. Seeing Tanaka take the plunge seemed to have struck a chord with her.
Still, the Tanaka I knew shouldn't be the type to pull a stunt like this, no matter how much of a cringey Loner she was.
I’d have to find her. I'd head to the rooftop later and see what was going on.