Kiyotaka's POV
It was 11th April, a day after Fuka's birthday party.
The main topic of the day among the students was an unexpected firework show that surprised every person in its vicinity.
But while more than half of the students were excitedly talking about it, there was a huge group of people, who weren't as enthusiastic about this as the others.
The second-year students.
That's because the rumor started to circle stating that the fireworks show wasn't actually authorized by the school and the huge interrogation looking for the culprit began.
And since the fireworks were launched from the rooftop of second-year students' dorm, this investigation focused on them.
This matter was quickly well-known by everyone, since the school wasn't even trying to cover that and even actively announced that if someone knew anything about the case, he or she should contact the teacher.
They probably figured out that covering up such a big incident would be a waste of time and since it wasn't in any way related to the class competition, the rule about not leaking any important information to the freshmen wasn't broken, so it was okay.
It may be also to warn students from doing something stupid after being inspired by this show.
Soon enough, another rumor started to circulate - the fireworks were launched during Kiryuin Fuka's birthday party created by her own classmates and Vice-President Nagumo.
This matter shocked many people, since it included not only Nagumo Miyabi, a high-ranking member of Student Council, but also Kiryuin Fuka and Ichinose Honami, two famous beauties among the freshmen.
Of course, since I was present at the party, I was also a part of those rumors.
And just like I planned, I was called by the school for the questioning.
Kiyotaka: "... And that's all I know about yesterday's incident."
I said calmly, looking at my interrogators.
I was currently sitting in the room with Sae-sensei, Horikita-senpai and one unfamiliar male, who was in charge of investigation.
While I wasn't surprised by two adults presence here, elder Horikita was unexpected.
Did Student Council President position really wield so much authority?
It was interesting.
I was asked to state how I spent my entire day yesterday.
I honestly told them about everything that happened from my point of view, just like someone totally uninvolved in the case would do.
The investigator: "I see. So you are claiming that you don't have any connection with the incident?"
Kiyotaka: "Yes. I didn't buy any fireworks, nor I've launched them. I also didn't ask any other student to do that for me. As I said earlier, I bought the necklace as birthday present. There were many witnesses to that."
The investigator: "Then, who in your opinion did this?"
Kiyotaka: "I honestly don't know. Until the investigation started, I thought it was a part of the party. The only thing that comes to my mind was that after the fireworks ended, Kiryuin Fuka thanked Nagumo-senpai for them, and he didn't deny being the one behind it."
The investigator: "I see. Well, that's all for now. You are free."
While it was impressive that I was called for questioning on just the next day, I was let go so easily that I couldn't help but feel kinda disappointed.
I was expecting more rigorous questioning about everything.
But on the other hand, this was still a school, not a police station.
Since they didn't have much of evidence pointing towards me apart from my closeness with Fuka and my presence on the party, their hands were tied, especially since I wasn't even the primary suspect.
Manabu: "Then, Ayanokouji, come with me to Student Council's room."
The silent up to this moment Horikita Manabu finally opened his mouth.
I guess he wanted to ask me some questions without the presence of adults.
Both of us have left the room.
There was a silence between us as we started to walk.
I decided to act out first in order to obtain information, while trying to lower his wariness towards me.
Kiyotaka: "President, what's really going on?"
Manabu: "And what exactly do you mean by that?"
Kiyotaka: "If something like fireworks were launched without the school's knowledge, the focus of investigation should be on who recently bought the fireworks and who was present in the place where they were launched. Yet, the school started massively questioning the students. This may suggest that the culprit managed to avoid leaving some clear evidence, right?"
Manabu: "..."
Kiyotaka: "..."
Our vision crossed.
Manabu: "I can't tell you anything at this point of investigation."
Kiyotaka: "I thought so."
Manabu: "I will ask you just once... Are you behind this, Ayanokouji?"
His vision didn't leave me for a moment.
I sighed.
Kiyotaka: "As expected, you are suspecting me, senpai."
Manabu: "I don't see why I shouldn't suspect you."
Kiyotaka: "True. Creating the party and making such a mistake doesn't match up for either Ichinose nor Nagumo. I don't know much about Ichinose, but she didn't have a motive to do it sneakily, while Nagumo wouldn't make it in a way that would make him a primary suspect. Since it wasn't a mistake at all, but an intentional act, then I should be the highest on the suspect list, since I had a motive to do so."
Manabu: "So you won't deny it?"
Kiyotaka: "Of course, I'm denying it. I didn't know about the party at all until Fuka's birthday. How was I supposed to prepare something like that in such short amount of time without being caught?"
Manabu: "..."
Horikita Manabu was observing me for some time.
Manabu: "Even if there's no clear evidence or testimony pointing at you, it doesn't mean you are safe, Ayanokouji. While some things may make people think it was Nagumo or Ichinose, the thing that matters is their believability. If the school thought that it was your doing, but you can't prove otherwise, then the truth doesn't matter."
Kiyotaka: "I still would like to think that it's not my problem. But thank you for your kind warning."
Manabu: "We shall see."
I smiled at him.
My experiment was going smoothly.
Learning about the quickness of the school's response after an incident, its procedures, the potential investigators, the level of questioning, etc...
The amount of knowledge I was gaining about the school was big.
While the risk was still there, I had confidence that nothing really could point at me.
And considering the fast response of the school, the possibility to fabricate any evidence against me was also reduced greatly.
The more the school would investigate, especially about Nagumo's environment, the better for me.
There was still the problem of obtaining those results, but it was rather a matter of time.
The third week of the school started with many people still wondering about the culprit of the incident.
While my name was still among the potential suspects, I was calm.
I received a small message from Henry saying that his interrogation ended without any problem.
Since my partner in crime wasn't suspected anymore, the school shouldn't be able to link me to the case.
I planned to take it easy after the school, but Horikita-senpai contacted me and asked me to come to Student Council's room after the classes.
Apparently, the investigation of the case was over, which was surprisingly quickly.
Was it always like that or did something unexpected occured?
While I had some doubts, it was happy news.
Because four members of Student Council were suspected, the atmosphere there was rather grim.
Kiriyama-senpai was openly showing hostility towards me, practically treating me as a culprit.
What a rude senior he was.
Asahina-senpai didn't ask me any questions, but she also didn't stop Kiriyama-senpai's outbursts.
I guess she decided to just wait for the results.
Since Horikita-senpai was a part of investigation team, the work started to pile up, which was also stressful for people.
That's why it was fortunate that this state wouldn't last long.
Today I would know how successful my experiment was.
I was satisfied with what I already gained, but there was still an unknown factor of what conclusion the school would make based on the gathered information.
I walked towards the room with some excitement.
There were already several people there.
Asahina-senpai and Kiriyama-senpai.
Ichinose, Kanzaki and Fuka.
Horikita-senpai with Tachibana-senpai.
Excluding Nagumo, all main stars of the case were here.
But unexpectedly, there wasn't any adult here.
I looked around, while greeting everyone.
Kiriyama-senpai just glared at me, while Asahina-senpai smiled lightly.
Ichinose looked a little pale.
She was evidently tired, probably because of lack of sleep.
Considering everything, she was probably the most affected by this turn of events.
Kanzaki was looking worriedly at her.
Only Fuka, who knew about everything, seemed calm.
She smiled at me and I did the same.
I sat beside her.
Manabu: "Since everyone are here, let's start."
Everyone turned silent.
Manabu: "As I informed you earlier, this meeting is about the results of the investigation concerned the incident that happened a few days ago that involved an unauthorized usage of fireworks on the rooftop of the dorm of second-year students. I called you over because the students here were considered as suspects of being the culprit of this incident during the investigation."
It felt as if we were in the court and the judge was announcing the verdict.
Manabu: "As you may be aware, the reason why you were suspected was because the fireworks show and birthday party for Kiryuin Fuka happened in the same time. The school thinks that those two events were connected to each other, which made you potential suspects."
After hearing this, Ichinose's and Kanzaki's faces paled a little more.
Fuka: "Wait a second, senpai. I was suspected as well?"
Fuka pointed at herself, surprised.
Manabu: "That's right. After all, we couldn't exclude the possibility that you did it yourself in order to achieve some kind of goal, Kiryuin. The school also confirmed that the fireworks weren't launched because someone didn't know about the rules here. In other words, it was an intentional action."
Fuka just chuckled at this remark.
She didn't look at me, but I knew that she thought of me, when Horikita Manabu said it.
It was clever of her to not show any openings, when he was watching us.
Fuka: "Then, shouldn't the school just find out who purchased the fireworks and planted them on that rooftop? I didn't, so I'm innocent."
Her lack of tension was definitely something else, but she was the correct person to lead such conversation.
Manabu: "That's what the school thought at first as well, but... There were some complications later."
Kiriyama: "Complications?"
The lack of registered purchase of fireworks on the campus as well as the lack of footage showing that someone put them on the rooftop.
The school probably thought that it would be easily to catch the culprit, only to find out that the only possible suspect was a ghost.
The ghost of Class D!
This definitely alarmed the school, resulting in huge, open investigation.
Manabu: "I can't disclose to you more about this matter."
Since Henry was questioned, it was obvious to me that the school turned its vision towards workers.
I wondered how much Horikita Manabu knew about it.
Kiyotaka: "Then, considering that you called us here, senpai, the culprit was found, right?"
I raised my hand and asked something that was on the mind of majority here.
Manabu: "..."
Horikita-senpai didn't answer immediately, which made the tension in the room increase drastically.
Finally, he sighed slightly.
Manabu: "The school didn't find out the culprit yet."
So they didn't find anything important, huh?
Manabu: "But we managed to reduce the number of suspects to only one. The verification of innocence of that person is still in progress."
Most of the people in the room stiffened upon hearing that.
Horikita-senpai looked around a little, then announced the results.
Manabu: "The reason I called you here was to inform you that the school officially removed you from the suspect list. In other words, the students in this room are declared as innocent."
...
Ichinose: "Ah! Thank goodness!"
Ichinose couldn't bear and shouted, relieved.
Next to her, Kanzaki sighed loudly, feeling the same as her.
The dark days for Class B finally ended.
Fuka looked at me with a wide smile.
'You really pulled it out, you bastard.'
'I've told you to not worry about this.'
I smiled back at her.
Kiyotaka: "Ichinose, Kanzaki, I knew you were innocent from the beginning."
No one believed in their innocence more than me.
Fuka slightly pinched my thigh.
Ichinose: "Thank you, Ayanokouji-kun. I also knew that no one from us would be able to do something like that."
Ichinose smiled brightly at us.
Kanzaki also nodded, evidently being in good humor.
The freshmen were happy about this result.
But the same couldn't be said about two second-year students here.
Kiriyama: "Horikita-senpai, since we are innocent, but there's still one suspect, then who is it?"
Asahina: "Could it be..."
While their first expression after the verdict was relieved ones, they soon understood that there was still something amiss here and started to become anxious.
Indeed, there's still one mystery here.
Manabu: "It's just like you think. The one, who become the only suspect in the case, is Nagumo Miyabi."
The atmosphere in the room started to tense once again.
Ichinose and Kanzaki, who were happy just a moment ago, became restless.
If Nagumo was the only suspect, then the possibility that their class, who made a party because of Nagumo's suggestion and became a subject of huge interrogation, was being used by him wasn't small.
This matter definitely would stay in their mind for the long time.
Kiriyama: "Wait a second, Horikita-senpai! That doesn't make any sense! We were there as well and left the party alongside him to confirm the situation. He was as surprised as me and Nazuna. It couldn't be him. You should know that too."
Manabu: "The school has the last say here. It seems like during the investigation, some doubtful movements of Nagumo were noted. The reason why he couldn't be declared as innocent was because of that."
Kiriyama: "What? What kind of doubtful movements are you talking about, senpai?"
Manabu: "I can't disclose it for you. This matter is still investigated by the school."
Asahina-senpai and Kiriyama-senpai looked at each other.
Looks like they didn't understand what Horikita-senpai was talking about.
But I had an idea.
The school was investigating Nagumo's actions as well as his interaction with workers here and found out something.
There was no evidence pointing at Nagumo being the culprit of the incident, but if he recently had been meeting secretly with some adult, the school wouldn't leave it alone.
Depending on what the school found, Nagumo may not be as fortunate as the others.
Looks like my experiment may hit and sink one of Nagumo's allies.
The risk I took was really starting to pay off.
Manabu: "Since everything is clear, then you may go."
With the mixed emotions, the students started to prepare to leave.
Manabu: "Ayanokouji, stay behind for a moment."
Everyone looked at me.
Calling me out at this moment was rather suspicious.
Tachibana-senpai also left us.
It was only me and Horikita-senpai.
Our vision crossed, trying to figure out what the other one was thinking.
Manabu: "You are really extraordinary, Ayanokouji."
Kiyotaka: "I apologize, but you aren't the type I would go for, senpai."
Manabu: "You aren't the type I would go for as well."
He remained unfazed by my comment.
Manabu: "If you prepared that incident and made someone a scapegoat, I would be angry at you for putting a blame on someone innocent. But you didn't and let the flow rush freely. If you made even the slightest mistake, you would be caught by now, but you weren't. Impressive. Because of that, I don't feel even the slightest bit of anger towards you despite alarming the entire school. I still hope that it would be the last time, though."
Kiyotaka: "..."
Manabu: "Nagumo could also slip away, but because the school thoroughly investigated his movements prior to the incident, he was caught on something else. Him and one another. Was it your aim from the beginning? Did you want to make the school investigate Nagumo to look for some doubtful actions of his?"
Damn it, Horikita Manabu, you're good!
If you were a girl, I would definitely hit on you!
Kiyotaka: "I don't know what you are talking about, senpai. Did someone else was caught alongside Nagumo? Some second-year student then? Was it that person that launched the fireworks?"
Manabu: "No, it was actually the owner of the restaurant, where the party was held. Unfortunately, I don't know the details of their actions."
The owner of that restaurant?
I see.
Nagumo made Ichinose's class hold the party on his own turf.
Then, he made the restaurant earn big amount of money from freshmen hands.
If the party was successful one, Ichinose's class would probably hold the next ones there as well.
The owner definitely received a big gift from Nagumo.
I wondered what the donkey received in return.
Nevertheless, that was good news.
And Henry was going to owe me some free meals for a while for cutting his competition!
Kiyotaka: "I see."
Manabu: "It probably will take a few more days to know for sure."
Kiyotaka: "Is there a chance that Nagumo will be kicked from Student Council?"
Horikita-senpai looked at me, as if seriously contemplating this issue, then sighed.
Manabu: "It won't be that easily, Ayanokouji. I can't dismiss Nagumo without a good reason thanks to his reputation. He is a leader of second-year students, and his next step would be to take the position of Student Council President. I'm sure he would rather suffer a harsher punishment if it would mean he could stay in Student Council."
Kiyotaka: "If being President is Nagumo's goal, then it's understandable move."
Manabu: "But the distance between him and that goal increased."
Kiyotaka: "At least one positive consequence of this bad incident. Just who could do something like that?"
Horikita-senpai chuckled lightly.
Manabu: "There's also something that I would like to discuss with you."
Kiyotaka: "?"
Manabu: "Because of this case, not only you and Nagumo, but also Asahina and Kiriyama were being questioned. On top of that, I needed to attend those investigations as well, so the amount of work started to pile up greatly. I'm sure you noticed it as well."
That was true.
Four members of Student Council suddenly became involved in the investigation.
The pressure on Horikita-senpai was big.
Manabu: "That's why I would like you to take care of interviews to Student Council, the faster, the better. Depending on the results of those talks, we may recruit at least one person this week to help out with work."
Normally, the freshmen could join Student Council at the beginning of the next month, so they could start their work while understanding the true rules of the school.
I was an exception, since I figured out the rules early and approval of President.
I guess Horikita-senpai wanted to decrease the workload of people.
What's more, considering that second-year students were at edge because of Nagumo, he probably saw this as an opportunity for me to gain even more influence in Council and create a new faction.
Senpai, you seriously were thinking hard for my sake, weren't you?
Kiyotaka: "I understand. I will talk with candidates soon."
Manabu: "Currently, we have four applicants - Katsuragi, Ichinose, Yamauchi and recently applied Nishino. Please contact with those four and prepare interviews."
Kiyotaka: "Actually, with three. I already talked with Nishino Takeko. I would like her to join Student Council as my secretary. The interview will be just a formality for us."
Horikita Manabu instantaneously looked at me with stern vision.
I took this head on, making him understand that I was serious.
Manabu: "I see. You work fast, Ayanokouji."
Kiyotaka: "I'm using my time efficiently, that's all. What do you think?"
Manabu: "If you think she is good enough, then I don't see problems. Asahina would leave you once Nagumo returns, so Nishino could fill her place right away."
Kiyotaka: "Oh, actually, this was something that I wanted to discuss with you, senpai. How about announcing that President and Vice-President could have up to two secretaries?"
It was something that stayed in my mind for some time.
Horikita-senpai was in good humor, so maybe he would agree to it.
Manabu: "What?"
Kiyotaka: "That way, Asahina-senpai and Takeko could be my secretaries together. Let's say that you would get Ichinose and Nagumo would get Yamauchi and Katsuragi. What do you think? It's totally a win-win-lose situation."
Actually, it was more like a win for me, since I was sure Tachibana-senpai would get competitive with Ichinose and take all the work of secretary for herself, which would leave Ichinose with nothing to do.
And then I would ask Ichinose to help me, making her my third secretary!
It would be a triple win for me!
I looked at Horikita-senpai with a smile on my face and hope in my heart.
Manabu: "..."
Kiyotaka: "..."
...
Manabu: "Rejected."
Kiyotaka: "Ehh, why not? I don't want to let go of Asahina-senpai yet. That smile... that crafty, yet gentle spirit... those thighs... cough, cough... I mean, she is such a fine woman, yet she needs to take care of that degenerate. Don't you think she's pitiful? We need to save her, President."
Manabu: "..."
We looked at each other for a while.
Horikita Manabu looked at me exaggerated, as if wondering if he should just kick the true degenerate here out of Council right now and be done with it.
Manabu: "Rejected."
Kiyotaka: "Tch."
Manabu: "If you want to have your senpai as secretary that badly, I could appoint Kiriyama to you."
What a foul threat from someone of his position.
Kiyotaka: "I think Takeko will be great as my one and only secretary, President."
Manabu: "That's good, Ayanokouji. You can go."
I left the room, slightly disappointed.
One can't obtain everything at once.
But there's still some maneuver for negotiation later.
For now, I should focus on the interviews.
It's time to gather a team!
Since Horikita-senpai wanted to hasten interviews, I contacted with candidates to Student Council and invited them for meetings on earlier date than initially planned.
Firstly, I met with Takeko to confirm once more her will to join Student Council, or rather, to join me.
Fortunately, her stance didn't change and she was willing to be my secretary.
I also heard from her that her classmates started to notice the true rules of the school.
Apparently, there was a guy named Kaneda, who was quite intelligent.
With Ryuuen being silent, Class C may be able to preserve a part of their income as well.
While it was a happy matter for them, I've told Takeko to be careful, since at the beginning of the next month, things would change drastically.
I also told her the situation in my class.
She was surprised by my passive stance towards my class and the competition, but decided to trust me nonetheless.
I sure had luck to meet with her, Masumi and Fuka on just my first day.
After the serious talk, we just chatted happily in Student Council's room about various things.
Then, I prepared myself for the three meetings that weren't going to be so smooth.
The first one was with Katsuragi Kohei from Class A.
Kiyotaka: "Firstly, I would like to express my gratitude for you for finding time so soon, Katsuragi. Originally, the interview was scheduled a few days later, so it wouldn't be weird if you had some other things planned."
Katsuragi: "It's nothing serious, so there's no need to apologize, Ayanokouji. But there's something I would like to confirm first, if you don't mind."
Kiyotaka: "Of course."
Katsuragi: "While I was informed about this interview, I didn't hear that you would be the one I was going to meet. Shouldn't President Horikita be the one to be in charge of the interviews?"
Kiyotaka: "As you probably heard, the school is currently carrying out the investigation to find a culprit of the recent unauthorized firework show. President Horikita is helping out in that case, so he let me be in charge of the interviews. I assure you that this talk is approved by him and will reach his ears once we will finish."
Katsuragi: "I see."
Kiyotaka: "In order to conduct this interview properly, President Horikita gave me some papers that have few information about you. Those documents were prepared by the school for Student Council especially to judge student's ability and past. Please confirm their content to understand the scope of the information I have about you."
I handed over the papers to Katsuragi.
While it wasn't actually necessary to give them to him, I did it to earn his trust.
From our exchange I could tell that he was dissatisfied that I was the one he was meeting and awareness that I have read about his life may deepen this dissatisfaction.
While there wasn't much of sensitive information included, it was still a breach against his privacy.
President Horikita may be acceptable, but I was still only new member of Student Council and a freshman, just like Katsuragi.
Katsuragi: "I have confirmed the content."
As expected, he furrowed his eyebrows rather displeased, but didn't say anything about this.
I observed him a bit.
He had a calm and collected demeanor.
His physique was also good.
Kiyotaka: "I see that you have an impressive amount of achievement since the elementary school. Your grades were in the top of the entire school year. You were also a member of Student Council in your junior high school. Is that why you applied to Student Council here?"
Katsuragi: "That's right."
Kiyotaka: "Then, as a fellow freshman and a member of Student Council, I would like to ask you, Katsuragi - what do think about this school?"
While it seemed like a decent question, but I had my own agenda here.
I needed to know how much someone would try to befriend me, what's his mindset like and his priorities.
Class A started to figure out the true rules of the school from the beginning.
Katsuragi should possess big amount of information.
I wanted to check out what kind of attitude he would have towards me, a member of the other class, and if he would trade some information to deepen the connection between us.
I already met with Sakayanagi Arisu.
She was someone, who wouldn't like to be under someone else, nor she would curry favour anyone.
A queen-type loli.
While her attention towards Masumi was worrisome, I was glad to meet her before this interview.
Katsuragi: "I think this school is really a splendid place. The level of classes is excellent, and the facilities here are at least better than average. Truly a place for elites. I'm glad that I got here."
What a decent, yet boring response.
Should I push a little more?
Kiyotaka: "I think so, too. I still can't believe that the school would give us 100000 points every month. This is really something incredible."
Katsuragi: "I guess so. It's an interesting approach for an educational institution to give so much for high school students."
Kiyotaka: "Don't you think the amount is a little too much though?"
Katsuragi: "I wonder. This is our first month here. Whatever it's too much or not, we would only know that in the future."
Kiyotaka: "I guess so."
I asked him some more questions, hinting that I may want to exchange information with him or was interested in what he really thinks, but Katsuragi just answered evasively, showing no will to share information with me.
The only thing that I managed to realize from our talks was that just like me, Class A was waiting for the next month to grasp the situation about our income more accurately.
Class A leaders really had different personalities like Masumi said.
Sakayanagi was an aggressive one, while Katsuragi was more on defensive side.
I guess predicting actions of the other side was going to be crucial for the conflict of those two.
Either way, it was troublesome for me.
Both Katsuragi and Sakayanagi weren't people, who would become my ally easily.
Sakayanagi blatantly refused me and Katsuragi showed no will to cooperate.
Katsuragi: "I would like to ask you a question as well, Ayanakouji."
Kiyotaka: "Yes?"
Katsuragi: "How did you manage to become Vice-President so early?"
I expected that he would ask this question.
Masumi was already tired of him trying to find out about that, after all.
Kiyotaka: "Is it that weird for me to become one, Katsuragi?"
Katsuragi: "Don't misunderstand. I don't know much about you, so I can't judge your qualifications. I just wonder if there was some concrete reason for that."
Now it was him, who tried to fish out some information.
Kiyotaka: "I think this is something that you should ask President Horikita, Katsuragi. It was his decision, after all."
If he was more cooperative, I would answer him differently, but Katsuragi was just too wary of me, so I wasn't going to enlighten him about the situation of Student Council as well.
If anything, our talk made me think that he may choose Nagumo over me as a fellow Class A students, since he was a safer option to choose.
I was sure that Horikita-senpai would arrive to the same conclusion.
Katsuragi: "Are you saying that you have no idea?"
Kiyotaka: "No, no. I'm perfectly aware why I was chosen for the position. But this isn't something I should share without consent of Horikita-senpai. I'm sorry."
I tried appealing to him that there was something more going on here, but he just glared at me rather than trying to ask more.
The negotiation wasn't successful again.
Let's try for the last time.
Kiyotaka: "There's one more question that I would like to ask you. As Student Council Vice-President, I am obliged to have a secretary. If you entered Student Council, would you be willing to fill that position?"
Katsuragi: "Is the answer to that question something important for my evaluation on this interview?"
He was intelligent, that much I would give to him.
Kiyotaka: "No, it isn't. I will be asking this question to every person that I would talk to. It would be good to know who would be willing to help me out after joining Council, right?"
Katsuragi: "I guess so. But I'm sorry, Ayanokouji, I'm not interested. I hope you won't be offended by that. I don't mind helping you, if there's a need to, though."
Kiyotaka: "I see. No, no, it's okay. Thank you for your honest feelings."
I would even say that it was rather admirable that he refused me straight face-to-face.
Considering his stance from the beginning, it wasn't really surprising, but I wanted to ask him anyway.
We finished the conversation quickly after.
I sighed loudly.
Katsuragi seemed as someone, who wouldn't backstab easily, so he was a desirable ally, but trying to befriend him was just a pain in the ass because of his defensiveness.
If only he was more flexible, this conversation would end up in a very different atmosphere.
My another interview was with my classmate, Yamauchi Haruki.
To be honest, I didn't even know what to ask him.
Once I saw the documents about his past and achievements, I was even more speechless.
This person had no achievements and his grades were under average.
On top of that, the school emphasized that there was a discrepancy between his responses during the entrance interview and the survey report he passed, which meant that this idiot was lying from the beginning to the school's authorities and got caught right away.
Yamauchi: "Yo, Ayanokouji!"
Yamauchi greeted me and sat down as if he was owning the place.
Yamauchi: "So this is Student Council's room. Not bad."
Kiyotaka: "Is that so? I'm glad it's to your liking, Yamauchi."
Yamauchi: "Well, not in my style, but not too shabby."
Kiyotaka: "I see."
Did he have some rich background?
The papers I received didn't have such an information.
Kiyotaka: "Let's start the interview, Yamauchi."
Yamauchi: "Huh? Do we really need to do that?"
Kiyotaka: "?"
Yamauchi: "Come on, Ayanokouji. We are pals from the same class, right? Can't you just make me a member of Student Council right away? I could be your secretary or something."
I was utterly speechless by Yamauchi's words.
Since when exactly were we pals?
On top of that, he wanted to be my secretary?
Kiyotaka: "It seems like you misunderstood something, Yamauchi. While I'm in charge of the interview, it's President Horikita, who make final decision about the candidate."
Yamauchi: "Eh, seriously? That sucks..."
Yamauchi started scratching his head.
Yamauchi: "Then... Can you just say some nice words about me to him?"
I swear, this person was boundlessly shameless.
Kiyotaka: "And why would I do that?"
Yamauchi: "Don't be like that. I need to enter Student Council. I want to date Kushida-chan!"
...
Kiyotaka: "I'm sorry, but I'm failing to understand the connection between those two points."
Yamauchi: "Come on, you know what I mean. You got a lot of attention from girls after entering Student Council, right? You're even hanging out with Kiryuin-chan despite your average face. I want those benefits, too. Help me out here, man."
As I thought, he really applied to Student Council thinking that he would impress some girls.
I started to have some headache.
Thankfully, Horikita-senpai wasn't present here, nor I needed to record this meeting for him.
This talk was a waste of time.
Let's just end it quickly, but without agonizing him.
Kiyotaka: "Okay, I will try. But I still need to process this interview."
Yamauchi: "Oh? Thanks, man. I knew that I could count on you."
I wouldn't give him a single candy, let alone help him get to Student Council.
Putting aside my own feelings, Horikita Manabu would kick him out of Council in just a minute.
Kiyotaka: "Let's do some word association. Please say the first thing that comes to your mind."
Yamauchi: "Eh? That's some childish game you want play, Ayanokouji. But okay."
This childish game was something that sometimes appear during professional job interviews.
Well, there was no need to explain it to him, I guess.
I just wanted to make him focus on something for a moment, then I would finish this conversation nicely.
Kiyotaka: "Then, let's start... Milk!"
Yamauchi: "TITS!"
Kiyotaka: "..."
It was just the first round, yet I was once again totally speechless by this person's deep mentality.
Yamauchi: "Ah, I mean... Cow!"
Yamauchi tried to correct his answer, but it was too late.
Well, it was rather admirable how honest he was as a pervert.
Kiyotaka: "No, no. There's no need for you to change your answer, Yamauchi. That's what this game is about. You can honestly tell me your answers."
Yamauchi: "Oh? So you can understand, Ayanokouji. I thought that you are more stiff person, but turns out you are just like us!"
I tried to defuse situation peacefully, only to end up being grouped as the same as him.
Yamauchi: "You know, when I heard milk, in my mind instantly appeared some big jugs. You know, like Kushida-chan's or Hasebe's."
While I said it was okay for him to be honest, this additional comment was really unnecessary.
If someone heard that I was talking with Yamauchi about girls breast during Council's interview, I may be screwed.
I took a sip of my tea, preparing to ask him to leave.
Yamauchi: "You know, once I will join Student Council, my days as a virgin shall be counted. I will finally take the same road as my ancesors. Every male in my family had a bunch of girls around him, and I will be the same!"
...
Kiyotaka: "I see. It must be one hell of family."
Yamauchi: "Hahaha! Yeah, that right. Things are going to be busy from now on. I already can see Kushida-chan taking care of me in maid outfit!"
Kiyotaka: "..."
Yamauchi: "Luckily, I still have my tyrannical stamina. I was a star of the baseball team in my previous school, you know. I got hurt during an inter-high school championship, though, so I need to rehab right now."
There wasn't anything about that in the papers I obtained.
If he wanted to lie, he could use a less obvious one...
Kiyotaka: "Umm... Wouldn't that injury be in the way of your dream?"
Yamauchi: "Eh?"
Kiyotaka: "..."
Yamauchi: "..."
...
Yamauchi: "N-No. Something like that is nothing for me! You need to know..."
I let him blabbering for a moment, then I asked him to leave, hoping that my body won't develop cancer cells from listening to all of that idiocy.
He left rather satisfied.
I sighed loudly once again, feeling drained.
How the hell did that lying pervert managed to enter this school?
This was a nobel-rank question.
The last person to interview was Ichinose Honami from Class B.
Ichinose: "Hello, Ayanokouji-kun!"
After being free of the case, her cheerful aura returned alongside her bright smile.
Kiyotaka: "Hello, Ichinose. Seeing you in high spirits really makes me realize that it's finally over with the investigation."
Ichinose: "Ahaha... I guess so. When the school contacted me for the first time, I was seriously shaken."
Kiyotaka: "I thought so. Would you like something to drink? I recommend coffee. Student Council has a high quality one. I recently bought the same one for myself."
Ichinose: "Then, I won't refuse."
I nodded and prepared some for us.
Kiyotaka: "How is your class after the investigation, Ichinose?"
Ichinose: "We are alright, thank you. While there was tense atmosphere before, I think the bond between my classmates grew stronger."
Kiyotaka: "That's good."
Ichinose: "How was it for you, Ayanokouji-kun?"
Kiyotaka: "Well, I was the only one from my class at the party, so there wasn't much of reaction from my classmates apart from some questions about the rumors."
Ichinose: "I see."
Kiyotaka: "Although I shouldn't be saying it, but the atmosphere in Student Council became more tense. Horikita-senpai was in bad humor, especially since he needed to be a part of investigation team. Luckily, apart from Nagumo, everyone else were declared innocent and can focus on their respective jobs."
Ichinose: "Is that so? That's kind of bad."
Kiyotaka: "Yes. The amount of work piled up during those few days, which is why we decided to start interviews faster than expected. We hope to find out someone, who would help the current members with their work. I won't hide that I am especially looking forward for someone to join us, since I need to fill in the position of my secretary."
Ichinose: "Then... The reason you are the one in charge of the interviews is because of that?"
Kiyotaka: "That's one of the reasons. What do you think, Ichinose? Would you be willing to be my secretary after joining Student Council?"
Ichinose: "Eh? You want me to be your secretary, Ayanokouji-kun?"
Kiyotaka: "Since I need to find out someone, I wanted to hear your opinion, Ichinose. Of course, your answer won't affect the results of this interview. It's just better to fill in the position with someone, who would be willing to be my secretary, right?"
Ichinose: "That's true."
Kiyotaka: "I understand that this is sudden, so you can tell me your decision at the end of the interview. Is that okay with you?"
Ichinose: "Yes, of course."
Ichinose made a thoughtful expression for a moment.
Ichinose: "Can I ask you a question before we start, Ayanokouji-kun?"
Kiyotaka: "Sure."
Ichinose: "Do you think... that it was Nagumo-senpai, who was a culprit of the incident?"
As expected, Ichinose had her doubts as well.
Kiyotaka: "It's hard to say. Considering that he wasn't declared innocent like us, the school must have found something."
Ichinose: "But why would he do something like that?"
Kiyotaka: "I was also wondering about that. To be honest, I firstly thought that I was his target."
Ichinose: "You? But why?"
Kiyotaka: "As I said earlier, we are rivals. Student Council has two Vice-Presidents, which means that once Horikita-senpai leave, it would either me or Nagumo as potential candidates for President position."
Ichinose: "That may be true... But..."
Kiyotaka: "Yes, the things just didn't point at me, which made me abandon this thinking later. But please remember that Nagumo and I are enemies. Especially if you are considering being my secretary."
Ichinose: "So you are saying that becoming your secretary would make me Nagumo-senpai's enemy, Ayanokouji-kun?"
Kiyotaka: "That's how politics works, Ichinose."
Ichinose: "I see."
She sighed lightly.
Ichinose: "To be honest, this is kinda different from what I expected. In my junior high school, everyone were really friendly with each other and worked together to achieve their goals."
Kiyotaka: "I see. You were in Student Council in your previous school, weren't you? On top of that, you were President, right?"
Ichinose: "Eh? Why do you know that, Ayanokouji-kun?"
Kiyotaka: "In order to conduct properly this interview, I received from the school some documents about you, Ichinose. Please confirm their content. I assure you that only a few members of Student Council have access to those."
Ichinose looked at the papers.
I observed her reactions closely.
Because in those papers, I found out something that was intriguing about this girl.
While looking at information about herself, Ichinose's face slightly paled.
Her eyes stopped at the certain part of paper.
The same part that made me intrigued.
Kiyotaka: "Have you confirmed everything, Ichinose?"
Ichinose: "Y-Yes."
Kiyotaka: "Hm? Is something wrong?"
Ichinose: "No, no. Everything is okay."
Kiyotaka: "Okay. Then, let's start. Why did you apply to Student Council, Ichinose?"
Ichinose: "As you already know, I was Student Council President in my previous school. I would like to continue working for Student Council in this school as well. I think I possess enough knowledge and experience to be a member."
Kiyotaka: "Then, do you wish to join with motive to become Student Council President like before?"
Ichinose: "Yes, that's right."
Kiyotaka: "That would make us rivals, Ichinose. Such a bold and direct declaration right off the bat... My pressure as Vice-President just increased greatly."
Ichinose: "H-Huh? No... I mean... That may be right, but..."
Ichinose became slightly confused because she realized that I was right.
Seeing her cute reaction, I chuckled lightly.
Kiyotaka: "I'm joking, Ichinose. There's no need to be so tense. Actually, such ambition is something that every person applying for Student Council should have. Being able to voice loudly your goal is a good trait."
Ichinose: "T-Thank you."
Kiyotaka: "It seems like your grades were always excellent. The documents say that you had a scholarship before."
Ichinose: "Yes, that's true."
Kiyotaka: "To be honest, in my opinion, you are really an exceptional individual. There's really nothing that I could say apart from praise."
Ichinose: "Thank you very much, Ayanokouji-kun."
She said humbly, but I could tell that she was proud of her achievements.
Kiyotaka: "I seriously start to wonder if I should just give you my position. Ah, isn't the gravitation today somehow stronger than normal?"
Ichinose: "That's not true, Ayanokouji-kun. President Horikita recognized you so early, which means that Ayanokouji-kun is the real exceptional person here."
She looked at me with earnest expression.
I could tell that she wasn't trying to curry favour me.
Kiyotaka: "Thank you, Ichinose. You are really nice, aren't you?"
I smiled at her, making her blush lightly.
It was time to get serious.
Kiyotaka: "If you don't mind, I would like to discuss one thing with you that caught my eye. In the documents that I received it's written that you had some long-term absences during your last year of junior high. I don't want to be nosy, but can I ask about the reason of that?"
It was the only thing that pick my attention, while I was reading Ichinose's documents.
Considering that her past performance was on par with Katsuragi's, it was weird that she was placed in the class lower than Class A.
Her achievements and grades were excellent, yet for some reason, in the last half year of her time in the previous school, she was practically absent.
The reason for that wasn't in the papers.
Just what happened for her to leave the school for so long?
I observed Ichinose, who instantaneously stiffened.
The merry atmosphere we just had changed into tense one.
Ichinose: "Why... do you want to know that, Ayanokouji-kun?"
Kiyotaka: "Like I said, I don't want to invade your privacy. But this fact is really eye-catching considering your great performance prior to that. You started being absent after your summer vacation, and it continued for almost half a year."
Ichinose looked down with a pained expression.
Ichinose: "I'm sorry, but I don't want to talk about it."
Oh?
Considering her unwillingness, the reason for her absence wasn't mild.
If it was a normal conversation, I would let go for now and try to push for answer slowly later.
But this was the interview, where I was trying to gather allies and block possible expansion for Nagumo's faction.
Ichinose entering Student Council would be desirable for me, but if she was hiding something that Nagumo may use later, then her candidacy may start to be questionable.
I already had a hard time with Katsuragi's candidacy, so I couldn't let go of Ichinose so easily.
Kiyotaka: "I understand, Ichinose. But this is something that Horikita-senpai will notice as well. While I'm sure he would respect your privacy, this may be in the way, when considering your candidacy to Student Council."
Ichinose's body trembled slightly.
Ichinose: "Really?"
Kiyotaka: "According to this information, your absence started, when you were still Student Council President, right? Which means that you resigned from your post in unclear circumstances. This may be problematic for us. As you are aware, some of Student Council's members were just suspects of serious incident and the school still investigates Nagumo, who is Vice-President. This matter weighs heavily on Horikita-senpai's heart."
Ichinose: "..."
Kiyotaka: "This is rather insider-rank information, but I will tell you this, Ichinose. While almost all Student Council's members stopped being suspect, the school's evaluation of us still dropped. Because of that, the bar for applicants rose. Horikita-senpai probably wouldn't allow an unknown variable to enter at this sensitive time."
I tried to slightly bend the reality to convince her to confess.
Considering Horikita-senpai character, he probably would allow Ichinose to join without knowing what it was.
But it was clear after observing Ichinose that it was her weakness.
If it was something exploitable, I needed to get hold of it before someone else.
Even if there was a risk of failure, I wanted to take it considering the potential benefits.
Ichinose: "So you are saying that my application may be refused because of that?"
Kiyotaka: "Indeed. I understand that you may be uncomfortable with this, but that's the reality. Horikita-senpai isn't a bad person, but as Student Council President, the pressure he is withstanding is great, which is why he is so strict. He won't allow any more controversy to lower the opinion of us."
Ichinose was still looking at the floor.
Her face was pale.
Time for some advertisement.
Kiyotaka: "Especially now that Nagumo may be punished again. He trusted him, when he appointed him as Vice-President, yet it seems like Nagumo became too self-confident and lost that trust. That's why Horikita-senpai appointed me as a second Vice-President. My mission is to keep in check Nagumo and maintain the trust and respect for Student Council. I'm in charge of the interviews because Horikita-senpai trusted me in choosing people that will help me with this."
I looked at Ichinose before me with a serious face.
Her shoulders were trembling slightly.
The silence continued for a moment.
I sighed loudly.
Kiyotaka: "How about this? If you don't mind, then tell it just to me and I will take the full responsibility for accepting you into Student Council. I promise that I won't tell anyone else what I heard, and I will guarantee you in the front of Horikita-senpai. I believe that with this much, he would allow you to enter Student Council without asking more questions."
Ichinose raised her head and looked at me with surprised expression.
Kiyotaka: "Why so surprised? I'm not as strict as Horikita-senpai. Like I said earlier, I believe that you are really suitable for Student Council. I don't know what happened to you back then, but I could tell from our meetings and the atmosphere in your class that you aren't a bad person, Ichinose. So whatever I will hear from you, my opinion of you won't change. We can even make a contract for that."
I smiled at her.
Ichinose stared some time at me.
I could tell that her desire to join Student Council was fighting with her unwillingness to confess.
It was a big decision for her, but also for me.
If Ichinose decided right now that she won't tell me and resign from her candidacy, I may lose a person with great potential and weaken my connection with Class B.
But if she agreed, then I would get a valuable ally and establish a perfect connection to Ichinose's class.
High risk, high return.
Finally, after some time, Ichinose made a resolute expression.
Here goes nothing.
Ichinose: "I understand. I will take this deal."
...
Hell yeah!
Kiyotaka: "I see. Do you want me to write you a contract or made a recording of my promise?"
Ichinose: "No. I also believe that Ayanokouji-kun isn't a bad person and will keep his promise. I... I want to move forward, while trusting others."
Kiyotaka: "I see. Thank you, Ichinose."
And then, Ichinose confessed everything.
About her past.
And about the mistake she did.
I was walking back to the dorm, while analyzing everything that happened on the interviews.
It was a good decision to press Ichinose to confess.
Considering how weak she appeared after telling me everything, this knowledge could destroy her if it was used against her.
Luckily, I managed to find out about it so early.
It was surprising, but I didn't think of her mistake as a heavy one.
But for someone as good and pure as Ichinose, it was likely the opposite.
I offered her some words of advice and consolation.
At the end, she left me with a small, relieved smile.
Time would tell whether this confession would make Ichinose stronger or not.
The most important thing right now was that I gained Ichinose's trust, just like I planned.
Now that I had Takeko and Ichinose on my side, Class C and Class B were open for me.
The only troublesome thing was Katsuragi's candidacy.
While I didn't dislike him, it would be a huge stretch to call him an ally.
And after the next month, the distance between us would just grow bigger.
Since there wasn't any more applicants from Class A, he was the only one I could choose.
But now that I gained another powerful ally, Katsuragi's presence in Council wasn't as important as I initially calculated.
He probably wouldn't be my bridge to Class A, nor he would support me openly in Student Council.
If a chance for Katsuragi and Nagumo colluding appear, would Sakayanagi support me?
She said that she didn't mind whether Katsuragi joined Student Council or not, but it was hard to say what she would do later on.
??: "Fufufu, my dear friend, you have such a serious face. Is there something on your mind?"
Kiyotaka: "Um? Sakayanagi?"
I just thought of her and Sakayanagi Arisu appeared before me.
Was it a coincidence?
Sakayanagi: "Good afternoon, Ayanokouji-kun."
Kiyotaka: "Good afternoon, Sakayanagi. I was just pondering about some issue."
Sakayanagi: "Oh? Could it be about the interviews of candidates to Student Council that were being hold today?"
Kiyotaka: "You are knowledgeable. Indeed, it's about the interviews."
Sakayanagi: "I see. I was actually looking for you because I wanted to discuss with you something concerning those interviews."
Kiyotaka: "Something to discuss with me?"
Sakayanagi: "Yes. There is someone I would like to introduce to you, Ayanokouji-kun. Would you mind giving me some of your time?"
And so, just when I was pondering about what to do with Class A, Sakayanagi came and resolved my problem.
At the evening of the same day, I met with Horikita-senpai to discuss with him the results of my interviews.
I asked him to allow a few individuals to join Student Council.
At first, Horikita-senpai glared at me, asking if I was being serious here.
Well, I wasn't really surprised that he reacted that way, considering who I wanted, but I was earnest this time, and after a long talk he finally agreed to my logic.
And so, Student Council President decided to approve the candidacy of three freshmen and on the next day, he invited them for the meeting after the classes.
Manabu: "I'm Student Council President, Horikita Manabu. After the deliberation and consultation between me and Vice-President Ayanokouji, I would like to officially welcome you three to Student Council. I hope for our fruitful cooperation in the future."
I smiled to the students and some did the same.
Manabu: "Since this is your first official meeting, please introduce yourselves to everyone."
The first one was a strawberry-haired girl with blue-eyes, who emitted the cheerful aura.
She happily introduced herself.
New member #1: "Nice to meet you all! I'm Ichinose Honami from Class 1-B. I'm very thankful for giving me this chance. Please take care of me from now on."
The second one was a violet-eyes girl with brown hair.
She wasn't nervous at all, while facing a few unfamiliar people, and greeted us normally.
New member #2: "I'm Nishino Takeko from Class 1-C. Nice to meet you."
The third one was a girl with black hair that is tied up in a pony tie and blue eyes.
She wasn't as still as Takeko or Ichinose and looked around nervously.
New member #3: "Uhm... Hello... I'm Yamamura Miki from Class 1-A... Nice to meet you."
The three new members, all girls, which made Horikita-senpai frown at the beginning, introduced themselves.
I looked at the three beauties and smiled to them once more, while slightly applauding.
The interviews were finally over and new members joined us.
New Student Council was officially formed.
To be continued...
Author's notes:
Hello. Thank you for reading this chapter.
After many deliberations, I finally decided on the new members of Student Council.
I took my sweet time for it, since I needed to create many routes and possible events later, but I think I pulled it out rather nicely for future surprises :)
If someone wonder why I didn't expand Ichinose's confession scene, I decided to give some more thought about what kind of sin Ichinose made - should I just stick to canon or make things more spicy? Should I make Ichinose grow stronger right now, or bully her a little later? Well, I'm sure I will arrive to some conclusion before reaching volume 9 xD
I also cut on Kiyo and Arisu talk for the same purpose. As you probably guessed, their talk is about Miki, who joined the story much earlier than in canon as another potential heroine. Making her route was quite fun for me, so look forward to it.
Also, fret not, Katsuragi's fans! Our baldie will have his time to shine!
The same for Nagumo's fans - it's slowly time to get serious!
As for Yamauchi's fans... Actually, does someone like that even exist here? Anyway, fret not as well! The masterpiece of Black Room surely will surprise in the future!
See you in the next chapter.