Student Council

"I'll need you all to keep what comes next confidential—especially you, Kushida."

"How could you say that? I'm very good at keeping secrets!" Kushida said, pretending to be offended.

Konoe ignored Kushida and explained his deduction that the Midterm Exam would include questions from the original exam. However, he didn't mention the Student Council at all.

"The school... would really do that?" Horikita couldn't believe the school would deliberately leave a loophole involving the original exam questions.

"Horikita, have you forgotten what Chabashira-sensei said?" Ayanokoji reminded Horikita, carefully referring to their conversation in the Guidance Room.

"That's right. Chabashira-sensei also said, 'Think carefully, then do your best to avoid expulsion.' Do Sudo and the others seem like they can avoid expulsion just by thinking carefully?" Konoe said.

"But... even if what Konoe says is true, where are we supposed to find the original questions?"

"Good question, Kushida." Konoe nodded with satisfaction.

"Huh?"

"Didn't you just say you were good at keeping secrets? I'm not sure I believe you just because you say so, but this is a chance for you to prove it."

"Honestly... you want me to do something, don't you? You don't have to put it that way. I'll help."

"I want you to go to Class 2-D and see if they have any past exam questions. You can negotiate with them using points. While you're at it, get all the First Year exam questions, starting with the Mini-test. That way, we can use the Mini-test answers to verify them."

"...Are you planning to cheat? Konoe, I can't say I approve of what you're doing." Horikita's voice carried a hint of contempt.

"...Horikita, are you really so confident you can get Sudo and the others through the Midterm Exam? Or are you planning to give up on them? What if the condition for ascending to Class A is that no one gets expelled?"

"...You're right, but I'll still do my best in my own way. Besides, who can guarantee that the original questions will definitely be on the exam?"

"That's fine. But I'm borrowing Ayanokoji to make it up to you. He'll go with Kushida to gather information. And you'll reimburse us for the points."

"Hey, hey..." Ayanokoji tried to object.

"I agree. That's settled." Horikita seemed to have finished eating and left her seat.

"What about my opinion?" Ayanokoji looked at Konoe helplessly.

"Great, Ayanokoji! You get to work with the adorable Kushida," Konoe said, congratulating him. "Remember to get Horikita to reimburse you for the points."

"I thought Konoe might be heartless enough to make me go alone," Kushida said, looking at him reproachfully.

"...There's no helping it. Kushida, you're adorable and good at talking to people. You'll help us, right?"

Kushida glanced at Ayanokoji and said, "I do think looking for past exam questions is a little underhanded, but I'll do my best so nobody in our class gets expelled!"

After school, with plenty of time left in the day, most students headed to their clubs for extracurricular activities. Konoe also went to the Student Council for his first day of work.

The spacious Student Council Room had an office area connected to a reception area. Through the open door nearby, he could see a long wooden table and office chairs; it was probably a conference room. Four people were already there, apparently all upperclassmen, which made Konoe feel a little pressure.

"...Hello, everyone. I'm not late, am I?" Konoe asked cautiously.

There were four people present. Besides Horikita Manabu and Tachibana Akane, whom he'd already met, there was a black-haired boy with a pair of sharp eyes fixed on Konoe.

The other was a handsome guy with dyed blond hair and blue eyes. He had a muscular build and looked athletic. He paid no attention to Konoe as he spoke, keeping his head down and playing with his phone.

"...Hello, everyone. I'm not late, am I?" Konoe repeated, staring at the people in front of him in surprise.

"Now that everyone's here, let's move to the conference room for the meeting. I'll also introduce our newest member," Horikita Manabu said, pushing up his glasses. Konoe followed the upperclassmen into the conference room.

After waiting for the others to sit down, Konoe took a seat at the end of the long table, next to the black-haired upperclassman. Even after the meeting began, the blond-haired man continued tapping away at his phone.

"This is the newest member of the Student Council, Konoe Hirakawa of Class 1-D. For now, he'll serve as our administrative assistant," Horikita Manabu said, seated at the head of the table.

"Class D? President, when did the Student Council start letting students from Class D join?" The blond-haired man stopped using his phone and asked, looking astonished.

"I was surprised myself that Class D had a student who could be of use. Nagumo, if you decide he's unsuitable for the Student Council, you have the right to ask him to leave."

Hearing that he might be kicked out before he'd even had a chance to sit down, Konoe quickly introduced himself. "Hello, upperclassmen. I'm Konoe Hirakawa from Class 1-D. Though I've only just entered the school, I understand what the school means by meritocracy. I'll work to improve myself while serving the students and the school, and do my best to share the Student Council's workload. I'll try not to let anyone down."

Though Konoe's words weren't sincere, maintaining good relations with the Student Council wasn't just about points. It would also help him secure a good working environment and make things go more smoothly later.

Miyabi Nagumo looked exasperated. He didn't reply, simply lowering his head to continue playing with his phone.

"The one questioning you is Nagumo Miyabi, the Vice President from the Second Year. Konoe, it's only natural for people to doubt your abilities when you're in Class D. You'll have to prove yourself with results," Horikita Manabu continued.

"Yes, President."

Tachibana Senpai then helped introduce the Student Council members one by one.

The handsome guy with blond hair and blue eyes was Vice President Miyabi Nagumo, from Class 2-A. The black-haired student was Kiriyama Iki from Class 2-B, the treasurer. The remaining two were Horikita Manabu, the Student Council President, and Tachibana Akane, the secretary. Both were from Class 3-A.

After the introductions, Nagumo put his phone away in his bag and asked, "Konoe, I have a question for you. As a student from Class D, what reason did you have for joining the Student Council? And don't give me that spiel about 'serving the students' you just gave."

Seeing that the Vice President was putting him through a pressure interview, Konoe thought for a moment before replying cautiously. "...Since the school upholds meritocracy, there's always a risk of being eliminated if you're at the bottom. So even as a student from Class D, I want to do my best to climb higher. I was lucky to get in by making use of my strengths."

"Lucky? I doubt it was just luck." Nagumo looked toward Horikita Manabu, then continued, "But I heard there were plenty of applicants from Class A and Class B this time. I can't imagine what sort of outstanding advantage you had to stand out from the rest."

"Nagumo, if you have questions, look into the details yourself. Tachibana has already prepared the documents from the last interview. We're about to start the formal meeting. Or would you rather keep wasting everyone's time?" Horikita Manabu asked coldly.

"...If that's what the President says, then of course I have no objection. Still, I suggest we exchange contact information with our new administrative assistant first. That way, we can coordinate quickly when there's work to be done."

I thought the work here was supposed to be easy—you just finished your tasks and left, and only had to listen to the President. A bead of cold sweat ran down Konoe's forehead as he exchanged contact information with his colleagues.

"For now, Tachibana will be in charge of guiding Konoe. Until he's familiar with the Student Council's work, we can't let him handle matters alone, in case he makes a mistake and damages the Council's reputation," Horikita replied to Nagumo. "Of course, if any of you think some of your work can be delegated to the administrative assistant, you can assign it to him. But if Konoe does a poor job, the person who assigned it will be held responsible."

Before anyone else could respond, Horikita Manabu moved the meeting along. "The next item is..."

Horikita Manabu had arranged Konoe's duties in just a few words. It seemed the Student Council really was run by its President, so Konoe felt reassured about Horikita Manabu's promise. After all, Horikita Manabu had less than a year left before graduation.