Utomiya POV
I became part of the student council 2 days ago. Pres. Nagumo accepted me because there's no first year in the council yet. But that's not the only reason. He thought that I'm here for a particular person, which was not wrong, but he believed that I'm here for her to gain information about a certain someone just to expel him.
I'm here to know more of Horikita and her background, not to know more of Ayanokoji because I already know a lot about him. Though it's only about his life and his abilities, the way he thinks and his personality were an exception.
Pres. Nagumo made an excuse for me or should I say a lie saying that I and Horikita should work together, claiming that both of us were the same, wanted to be the student council president and both were not from class A. He thought that I might learn a lot from her. Though he made this arrangement only for his own convenience. Since he believed that the 20 million bounty exam of expelling Ayanokoji was still going on. He wanted me to show him a good battle with Ayanokoji by trying to expel him. And guess what, all of those just for him to know the full abilities of Ayanokoji.
Seriously, why can't he just challenge him himself though? That way he would know and experience his abilities himself.
But it's okay, because of that excuse, I got to interact with Horikita without her suspecting me.
Right now, I'm at the student council office doing some paperwork. The girl sitting across me was so busy doing her work also.
Me and Horikita were the only one in the office.
I had to thank pres. Nagumo for this, but somehow I couldn't have a conversation with her.
I couldn't find any topic. No, it's not about the topic. It's just, she's so focused on her work that you couldn't find an opening. Her eyes were only to the papers then to the laptop and back and forth.
Not just that. It's also because of the expression of her face. It definitely says 'don't talk to me and just do your work seriously'.
"Is there something you want to ask?"
Horikita suddenly asked me.
"Huh?"
Horikita looked at me for the first time.
"You've been staring at me this whole time. Is there something you want to ask?"
I thought she wasn't paying attention to me but it seems like she knew that I've been staring at her this whole time.
Wait. I've been staring at her this whole time?
"Uhm.... Nothing."
"Then can you please do your work already?"
She said that while glaring at me. I can't ask her something trivial with that attitude.
I'm not really in a rush but this opportunity should not be wasted.
"Uhm... the truth senpai is, there's something that I would like to ask."
"What is it?"
"It's about the previous student council president."
Horikita's hands stopped typing. Her face turned to serious expression and looked at me.
"He's your brother right?"
"....Yes. And?"
"Nothing. It's just that, I heard that from pres. Nagumo."
".....That's it? What's with that question? I thought that there's something that you don't understand with your work and you wanted my help."
"Sorry. I just got curious because he said that he became the student council president though he was still a first year and pres. Nagumo said that he looked up to him."
"Can you get straight to the point?"
She's......so blunt.
"I was thinking if, is he your motivation? Did you want to become the student council president because you wanted to follow his path?"
What type of question was that?
"Is there something wrong with that?"
Oh? So it's true.
Well, if pres. Nagumo looked up to her brother when they only got to know each other in this school, it's only understandable for a sister to look up to him since she saw how great he is ever since they were kids.
"Nothing. I was just curious."
"Utomiya-kun."
She looked at me in the eyes.
"You must have misunderstood the relationship that pres. Nagumo wanted for us. He wanted us to have a junior-senior relationship. He wanted us to help each other since we have the same goal in the council. Talking about each other's life story is unnecessary."
I only asked that question but it seems that she's angry already.
"I will only answer questions regarding our work. I won't entertain questions beyond that no matter how curious you are. Understand?"
".......Yes. Sorry about that senpai."
"Now, can you do your work seriously already?"
We both went back to our work.
Seriously.
If she's already this angry when I asked only that question, how much more if I dig deeper.
Well, you don't usually talk about your life to a person you just met.
But, this was harder than I thought.
Ayanokoji POV
It's our first week in second semester. Chabashira sensei just got out of the classroom. Some of my classmates already went out to the Keyaki Mall including Kei and her friends.
A lone girl in the front row was just about to go out of the classroom. I believed she's going to the student council office after this. It's been months since she became part of the council but she had never consulted me yet regarding the actions of pres. Nagumo. I got curious so I decided to approach her.
"Horikita."
She turned her head towards me as I called her.
"Are you going to the council after this?"
"Yes."
"Can we talk as you go there?"
She nodded. I believed she knew what I wanted to ask her.
We went out of the classroom together. We were silent for a moment but as I confirmed that there's no more students nearby, I decided to ask her.
"So, is there something that you noticed about pres. Nagumo?"
"Not yet."
"Not yet, but he's about to leave the council already."
"I don't know if he's really good at hiding it or he's being careful because I'm there. I also did not have a chance to work with him directly and investigate."
The only one who we could rely on giving us information was Kiriyama who was working directly with Nagumo. But he's already given up and did not want to go against him. He even thought that Horikita was a troublesome existence in the student council.
If Nagumo was indeed being careful, and in addition to Kiriyama who did not want Horikita to interfere, it would be impossible for her to get information.
"Well if you did not get any information then there's nothing we can do about it. More importantly, about the next student council election, are you really running for president?"
I asked her.
"I don't really care if I will become the president but since I told president Nagumo about it, then I have no choice but to take the challenge."
"If you won the election and become the president you would have more work to do aside from leading the class in reaching class A."
Upon hearing that, Horikita stopped walking, turned her face towards me and glared at me.
"Look who's talking when you're the one who put me in this situation. If I indeed become the president, and my work will double, as a member of Class D and the one responsible for this to happen to me, don't I have a right to give you a share of work?"
(T/N: I had to put class d since we still don't know the outcome of the recent exam. Though for me they could have risen to class C while ichinose's class would drop to class d.)
Well, even though I told her that it was her brother's request for her to join the council, it was indeed my fault that she joined. It was originally my responsibility to stop Nagumo. Horikita Manabu helped me a lot before and his request was for me to stop Nagumo but I never did anything, instead I even gave that responsibility to Horikita.
"Okay, okay. I understand."
Horikita started walking again. It seemed like she's satisfied with my answer.
"Also, if the third years will no longer be in the student council, you and Ichinose will be the only members. Aren't you supposed to be recruiting?"
"Then how about you join if you're that worried."
"I'll pass and I'm not worried."
I answered. Horikita sighed upon hearing my answer.
"We just got a new member right after the semester started. He's a first year."
Suddenly, Horikita fell silent. It's as if she's thinking something.
"Anyway, about that 20 million bounty exam, I thought that pres. Nagumo is the one responsible for that but I did not get any information about that as well."
Horikita said that. It seemed like Nagumo got to hide the fact that he knew about that exam as well.
"How about you? Did you happen to find information about who's behind that exam?"
Horikita asked me with a suspicious look. It's as if she knew that I already had the information.
Should I tell her? Nagumo was indeed there but Tsukishiro was also present. If I will tell her a lie that Nagumo was the only one who's behind it, she might dig deeper. I couldn't erase the possibility that she might know about my relationship with Tsukishiro upon investigating. Then she could be one step closer to knowing about the white room.
"No. I'm still clueless."
I decided not to tell her.
"Really? It's just that recently when that first year who just joined the student council, I suddenly thought the possibility that pres. Nagumo has something to do with that 20 million bounty exam."
"Why?"
"He suddenly put that first year under my care."
"Under your care?"
"Yeah. He said that the first year is just like me. That he also wanted to be the student council president in the future. He said that we should work together sooner since he could be my vice president if ever I will become the president. But I feel like there's something else."
"And you think it's about the 20 million bounty exam?"
"Yes."
"Who is the first year guy anyway."
"I don't know if you know him but his name is Utomiya Riku of class C."
Utomiya of class C. That guy who just won't let me grasp anything.
"And what makes you think that it's connected to that exam?"
"I thought that pres. Nagumo could have set it up for me and Utomiya to have more interaction. He gave us work yesterday that gave us time alone. Utomiya was acting strange, he was staring at me the whole time. When I asked him what's wrong, I was expecting him to ask a question about you, but he did not."
"What did he ask from you?"
"He asked about my relationship with my brother."
"Your brother? Why would he even ask about that?"
"He said pres. Nagumo told him about my brother and he said he got curious."
Should I tell her about Utomiya too? If I tell her, there's a possibility that she might ask Utomiya directly.
Everytime I tried to investigate Utomiya, instead of covering up, he always gave an answer where you couldn't probe any further.
So if ever Horikita asked him, I could see him giving her answers directly. And considering Horikita, she would definitely ask him until she would get everything in detail.
If Utomiya was the white room student, I doubt he would give small details that could exposed about the white room like telling her that Tsukishiro was involved, but if he's not, he would definitely tell her about him.
"Do you think Utomiya will go to the extent of joining the student council and use you to gain information about me just to expel me?"
"Considering that big reward, yes, but after he asked me about my brother instead of you, I dismissed the idea that he's part of it. Maybe pres. Nagumo really just told him some information about my brother that made him curious."
Maybe he's telling the truth that he already gave up on that exam cause he did not want our class to be his enemy. Maybe he's just trying to be a good student.
"But if he's staring at you the whole time, maybe he's fallen in love with you at first sight?"
How about this possibility huh.
"Ayanokoji-kun, how about you go back already. The office is already near and you're already talking nonsense."
Nonsense? Yeah, this girl would definitely say it's nonsense.
Horikita continued walking to the student council office while I headed back to the dorm.