Today marks an important day in my student career.
It was finally time for my interview with the Student Council President, Miyabi Nagumo.
It took a bit of time to get this meeting officially set up, but nonetheless, today was the day.
After packing up my belongings from the classroom, I quickly made my way to the Student Council room located on the third floor of the school. Which was also where the third-years had their classes.
"You seem to be in a rush," Horikita said to me, while she was still seated at her desk.
"I have a very important meeting at the moment, so I need to have a quick pace."
"Might I ask why this meeting is so important?"
"Oh, I'm just interviewing for a spot on the student council, that's all," I replied.
"The council?"
"Fukumoto-kuns joining the student council?"
It seems like quite a few classmates were paying close attention to Horikita and I's conversation.
But, at the mention of the Student Council, Horikita's cold expression broke for a moment as it brought back memories of her elder brother.
"I see... the council... I wish you well."
"Who knows, maybe I'll end up in the same position as your precious elder brother sometime," I said jokingly; as I left the classroom.
~~~
After a brisk walk to the third-year level of the school, I finally arrived.
The Student Council Office.
For all the praise and support surrounding the Student Council, you'd expect something a little bit nicer. Thinking back to the trial earlier this year, the office only had a large U-shaped desk with a couple chairs around it. Pretty lame if you ask me.
Pushing that needless thought aside, I took one deep breath and knocked on the door.
No one immediately replied, so I tried once more.
This time, I could hear the hushed talking between people from inside the office.
Trying once again, I gave a much more firm knock on the door. Hearing someone finally moving inside the room, I waited until they opened the door.
"Hello there, sorry for the wait," a sweet voice sounded from the other side of the door as it opened.
"Ichinose?" I said as the familiar face popped out from behind the door.
"Oh! Fukumoto-kun!" Ichinose sounded a little startled at my appearance. "I didn't know you would be here today. Can I help you?"
"Well, I'm here for my interview for the student council."
Ichinose's face seemed to light up at my response. "Really? I'm so glad you decided to join. I'm sure you'll be a great fit-."
"Honami-chan, we need to conduct the interview in the office, remember," another voice sounded from inside the room.
"Yes, sorry, that's my fault," Ichinose replied with a deep bow in apology and stepped aside, letting me into the room.
After she closed the door behind me, I looked toward the head of the U-shaped table, where the new President was seated.
"Thank you for granting me this opportunity to join the student council, Nagumo-senpai," I said while bowing to him. Even though it pained me to do so.
"I appreciate the formalities," Nagumo replied with a smirk. "Please take a seat, and we can get this started."
I sat a couple of feet from Nagumo's left. While Ichinose took a spot directly to his right.
"Now," Nagumo started. "Shall we begin your interview?"
"Before we begin," I took a slight glance in Ichinose's direction. "I was under the impression this interview would be... private."
Nagumo looked at Ichinose after my sentence. "Don't worry about her. It's just a formality. I need someone here to record this interview and decided a fellow friend would be nice. You could always pretend she's not here," Nagumo offered me a slight smirk.
I see what he's doing. This conversation could go a multitude of ways.
Nagumo could make false accusations against me, try to ruin my reputation or expose something about me. Having Ichinose here limits my actions because I have an image to maintain.
I wouldn't expect Ichinose to be a blabbermouth about what goes on in this room. But depending on what topic is brought up or how I act, it could severely damage the trust I've built with her and possibly leak out into school.
After all, the council has a ludicrous amount of power within this school. Nagumo could do anything or reveal anything he wanted to.
Playing it safe for now is my only option.
"That is totally fine," I responded. "She is a dear friend of mine, so it wouldn't bother me."
"That's good to hear," Nagumo said as Ichinose began to furiously write everything down in a notebook.
"I've been expecting you to come for an interview for some time now, Fukumoto," Nagumo stated.
"That's odd because I only mentioned this interview to you recently, senpai."
"There was an individual on the council who was excited about the prospect of you joining us, so I was informed a long time ago."
Ichinose froze for a second before continuing her writing. I guess Nagumo's been prepared for my call for some time now.
"May I ask one question first, out of my own interest," asked Nagumo.
"Anything, senpai."
"How did you acquire my phone number? I'm quite sure I've never given it to you."
"Another senpai in your year gave it to me when I asked. I'm sorry if it broke a sense of privacy with you since I got it in a roundabout way."
"Ah, so Kiryuuin gave it to you. She is definitely a wildcard. I never would expect her to help someone like you."
Earlier this year, when I had my first encounter with Nagumo, Kiryuuin also showed up and offered her assistance to me at any point.
Funny that the first thing I asked of her was related to how I met her.
"Now that we got that matter out of the way. We can formally start the interview. So, Fukumoto, why are you interested in a position on the council?"
Really, that's his first question?
Nagumo is never this formal. I may have had limited interactions with him, but I can tell something's off about how he is conducting this interview.
He wouldn't be asking me simple interview questions like this. He'd be making crafty questions to reveal any information I had that could benefit him, or he'd use them to drive me into a corner.
Whatever was happening just seemed off.
"Simple. I believe a spot on the council could help me grow as a person; broaden my horizon. Nonetheless, I want a position on the council so I could help this school evolve and change."
Nagumo only nodded along with my statement. "How would you go about changing the school if you were on the council?"
No, this felt entirely wrong.
The formality behind Nagumo was eery in a way.
This isn't the real interview.
Hell. I don't think I'd be wrong in believing I won't have a real interview at all.
Maybe this was a tactic Nagumo had planned to use to throw me off a bit.
I will admit; it threw me for a loop for a bit. But I'm done playing his game.
I sighed before responding. "Nagumo-senpai. I appreciate the attempt at a formal interview, but I'd like to keep the naive strategies to a minimum."
Ichinose looked up at us two in confusion for a moment. But Nagumo only sat in his chair with a smug smile.
Nagumo proceeded to slide his hand over to Ichinose's notebook and carefully close it.
"Sorry, Honami-chan, we won't be needing that any longer. Just sit and listen."
Ichinose looked even more confused for a moment but sat there patiently and waited.
The President turned back to face me as his interrogation began.
"I'm impressed, Fukumoto. You're a more preceptive guy than I thought. I was hoping you'd fall for my ploy a little while longer."
"It was pretty easy to recognize what you were doing, senpai. I haven't interacted with you often, but I can tell you aren't the most formal person without having a secondary interest in mind."
"Got me there. I usually don't act like that unless it's to get something I want. But, it was worth the try," Nagumo shrugged in response.
"Now," Nagumo continued. "Fukumoto, you are quite a special individual."
"Thank you-"
"Not yet. Let me talk more," Nagumo interrupted.
"As seen in the Sports Festival, you're quite an athletic individual. Singlehandedly keeping Class D from a far; far worse disaster, and winning the most athletic award for your year. That's no small feat considering the abilities of your fellow first-years."
"Also, Class D's explosive start during the Uninhabited Island Exam. I saw how all the points were scored. Class D collected 85 S-Points from spot occupation across a multitude of spots around the island. Which is very impressive, to say the least. But it leads me to believe someone had a plan to claim these spots unnoticed, and seeing your dexterity and speed put on display during the festival: it wouldn't be a long shot to consider that was all because of you."
"Not to mention, you are also one smart individual. While your grades at the beginning of the year were; average. They began to rise swiftly as the year continued. Even now, where you passed the Paper Shuffle exam with an average of 88% across all eight subjects, solo. Just barely above the passing grade you needed. Nothing too flashy."
"I won't forget to mention the predicaments in which you entered this school. A so-called student with no past joins this school a week late. Isn't that quite crazy? He was even given special permission to bring one item from their personal life here, and they decide to bring a sword? Isn't that bizarre? All this adds up to make quite the interesting individual, or am I grasping at straws?"
"That was quite the summary, Nagumo-senpai. You seemed to have done quite a bit of research about me before this meeting. All of it was fairly accurate," I replied.
"I've had my eye on you for a long time. I'm sure you know that. But, being on the council also provides its own blessings. Helped me fill in any gaps."
"The power of the Student Council once again exceeds my expectations. You do have a reasonable amount of control over the student body."
Nagumo smiled. "But you see, Fukumoto. While I have been intrigued about you, your school life lacked something."
"What could that be?" I questioned.
"Adversity, misfortune, afflictions, whatever you want to call it."
"I don't understand..."
"You've had an easy life so far," Nagumo said with a straight face.
"Personally: I'd believe my life within the walls of Advanced Nurturing High School hasn't been, quote on quote, easy. Sure: my skills make it look like a much simpler institution than most others. But I haven't been given an easy path."
"You'd like to believe that. True, the extent of your skills may be just below one like myself, but there's no doubt you have had an easier life than most."
"Care to explain, senpai?"
"Think back to when you were given an introduction about this school with Class 1-A's sensei. What did he say?"
"Oh yeah, Grey-haired-sensei gave me a quick introduction about the school and the S-System. The standard message every student received, I believe."
"Well, unlike most students, Mashima-sensei didn't give the same explanation to you that he did the other students. All first-year students were given a simple and bare-bones explanation of the school and private points. While you were essentially given the explanation for the S-System and class rankings."
Recalling back to that moment, I do remember Mashima-sensei putting further emphasis on certain topics and words during the explanation, which led me to uncover the true essence of this school easily. But I assumed all students were given that standard introduction, not just myself.
"How would you know that in his explanation I was offered the solution to the S-System?" I questioned.
"Almost everything is recorded in this school," Nagumo pointed to a camera in the corner of the room. "Mashima-sensei was written up about the explanation after a thorough examination."
"That doesn't answer how you could obtain that information."
Nagumo shrugged slightly. "Call it the benefits of being the former Vice-President and soon-to-be President of the Student Council. It's my job to preside over the student body."
"That is an extreme power someone like you was given."
"Anything can become powerful. It depends on how it is handled by its user."
"I will give you one compliment," Nagumo continued. "The Paper Shuffle Exam. Unfortunately, because of your arrival, first-year Class D has 41 students. An odd amount. In this recent exam, you were supposed to be put in partners to tackle this exam, correct?"
"Yes."
"Now, the school was lulling over how to deal with your class, being an odd amount of students. They considered making a group of three and slightly altering the rules for that group, but..."
"But," I urged on.
"I stepped in," Nagumo said as he spread his hands open.
Ichinose looked toward him in shock for a moment as he shared this piece of information.
"How so?"
"Well, the council presides over the student body, so with a bit of pull from my side, I can convince others to change the outcome. Instead of a group of three, it was changed to an individual test. Simple. But I wasn't finished there. You were determined to do that exam solo because of how high you scored in the previous quiz and by alphabetical order of first name."
"Your memory is flawless. I never expected someone like you to remember this much," I taunted.
"But that's not typical for us in Japan," Nagumo stated. "We typically rely on last name basis. Using the first name in alphabetical order was just a cheap excuse for me."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Your school life has been too easy, Fukumoto. So I decided you'd take this test alone. I wanted to see if you'd sink or swim. You've been living the high life thus far, so I wanted to see what you were truly made of. And I'm glad you didn't disappoint me."
This was a revelation to me. I was confused to begin with as to why I had been chosen to take this test alone based on my first name: when we typically sort by last name, as Nagumo stated. Maybe it was just because I came to this school later than others. But no. It wasn't just that; Nagumo clearly intervened and changed the outcome of that exam to challenge me. It was frightening in a way how much power you could yield within this school, but that only excited me even more.
"So, could I presume, after your intervention, the teachers could not change the outcome?" I asked.
"You're correct. The teachers within this school aren't worth much. Sure, they can expel, bargain, proctor exams, and all. But they're not much different from the ones in any regular old school."
Teachers are nothing but ordinary within this school. So, even someone like Chabashira-sensei couldn't hold anything over me. The only thing keeping a student from surpassing them is traditional respect.
Her blackmail that lightly tugged on the strings choking me was only a hollow threat. After all, I've been referred to as the 'ghost student'. With no past or history. What she said to me early on this year was nothing more than a desperate grasp at straws. Trying to make me help her.
After hearing all this from Nagumo. Chabashira-sensei had strings on me. Now, I'm free; there are no strings on me.
Teachers can still hold value, especially within an establishment like this that is run on convenience, competition, and monetary value. But they are just another tool within this school.
"That's quite the revelation," I replied to Nagumo.
"All within the benefits of being on the council," Nagumo replied. "I'm also happy to say you did meet my expectations after that exam, and I must congratulate you. You've reignited my interest in you."
"Can I assume this interest has benefits within the council?"
"Well, from what I can gather, I'm not the only one intrigued by your skills at this school, but yes, it does bode well for your enlistment to the council. So I'll ask, Fukumoto, are you ready to join the student council?"
I paused for a moment. I know my acceptance to the council is likely because of Nagumo's interest in me and my skills. But, from all the information I have gathered on this school, council, and more. It's not an offer I can refuse, despite the reasons I joined.
"May I ask why you want to take me on the council?" I asked.
Nagumo scoffed at my question. "Have you not been listening?"
"I have, but I have no experience with club member duties, let alone a student council. And I heard other students like Katsuragi from Class A were rejected. Even Ichinose was once rejected from joining. But all these people have council experience and are at the top of their classes."
Nagumo looked over at Ichinose for a moment before answering. "Call it my subjective criteria. If you have worth in this school, prove it to me. I see the potential in you and want to challenge it. Now that I run the school, those with real talent will rise. It doesn't matter what class they are associated with. Besides, having you by my side is bound to make school life more interesting for me."
I stood up from my seat and offered my left hand to shake on the deal. "I'll gladly accept the position."
Nagumo returned the gesture with a smile. "Staying adverse and skeptical till the end. You'll definitely liven things up around here."
I returned Nagumo's smile with my own. "Only time will tell."
After breaking off the handshake, there was a moment of silence before someone spoke up.
"So, Nagumo-senpai," Ichinose said. "What position will Fukumoto-kun be in?"
"That's a good question," Nagumo replied as he brought a finger to his chin to think. "I know. He'll be my personal secretary and advisor. Sound alright?"
"I couldn't be more pleased. We all have to start somewhere, right?" I said.
"You can both leave now. There isn't anything more to discuss," Nagumo began to usher us out of the Student Council room.
"Thank you for the interview. It was a great experience," I gave Nagumo my parting message as he closed the door on us.
"Hehe," Ichinose snickered next to me.
"What's that laugh for?"
"Well, I'm just glad I could have a close friend join me on the council; that's all."
"I'm in your care then. This is my first time with any club duties, so I'll be needing your guidance."
We started to walk down the hall together to return to the dorms as class had finished.
"By the way, Fukumoto-kun. I'll promise not to speak to anyone about what happened today."
"I appreciate that. But you never know with Nagumo-senpai. He could be blowing things out of proportion."
"That may be true. But I'm more inclined to believe him. You never said any of his claims were false. Besides, I know you are an amazing student."
"Nothing more than an average individual," I replied.
Ichinose took a quick step in front of me and got on her tip-toes to try and reach my height.
"I'll just have to keep a closer eye on you. We are still both competing for Class A, after all."
I didn't respond right away as I stared at the charming girl in front of me for a moment.
"Don't hold back then when our classes clash then."
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AN's:
hello hope you are well
i have to say this chapter was fun to write, def a top 5 for me
hope this all finds you well
APPLE FACT:
did yk that there is 7,500 apple varities grown in the world??
wild right
until next time, legends