Student Council

"The next matter requires everyone to keep it a secret for now, especially you, Kushida."

"How can you say that! I'm very good at keeping secrets!" Kushida said, feigning anger.

Konoe ignored Kushida and told them about the midterm exam having questions from the actual exam, but he didn't mention anything about the student council.

"Is the school... really going to do this?" Horikita couldn't believe the school would intentionally leave loopholes in the exam.

"Horikita, have you forgotten what Chabashira-sensei said?" Ayanokoji reminded Horikita, but he phrased it carefully, referring to their conversation in the guidance room.

"That's right, Chabashira-sensei also said: think carefully, and then work hard to avoid expulsion. Do Sudo and the others look like they can avoid expulsion just by thinking carefully?" Konoe said.

"But... even if what Konoe said is true, where can we find the actual exam questions?"

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

"Huh?"

"Didn't you just say you're good at keeping secrets? I don't really believe it if it's just talk, but this is a good opportunity for you to prove it."

"Really... you have something you want me to do, don't you? You don't have to say it like that, I'll help anyway."

"I want you to go to Class D of the second years and see if they have the real exam questions. You can use points to negotiate with them. Also, remember to get all the first-year exam questions starting from the mini-tests, so we can verify them with the mini-test answer sheets."

"...Are you planning to cheat? Konoe-kun, I can't really agree with your actions." Horikita's tone carried a hint of disdain.

"...Horikita-kun, are you that confident that Sudo and the others can pass the midterm exam? Are you saying you want to give up on them? What if the condition for advancing to Class A is that no one gets expelled?"

"...You're right, but I'll still work hard in my own way. No one can guarantee that the real exam questions will be the actual exam questions, right?"

"That's fine, but I'll need to borrow Ayanokoji from you for a while. Let him go gather information with Kushida. Also, you'll need to reimburse the points."

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

"I agree, that's settled." Horikita seemed to have finished eating and left his seat.

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

"That's great, Ayanokoji, you get to work with the lovely Kushida." Konoe said happily for Ayanokoji, "Remember to get the points reimbursed by Horikita-kun."

"I thought Konoe would heartlessly send me alone," Kushida said, looking at Konoe with a hint of resentment.

"...There's no other way, Kushida is so cute and good at communicating with others, she'll help us, right?"

Kushida glanced at Ayanokoji and said, "Although I feel like finding the real exam questions is a bit of a cheat, I'll do my best so that no one in our class gets expelled!"

After school, it was still early, and most students headed to their clubs for extracurricular activities. Konoe also came to the student council to participate in his first day of work.

The spacious student council room had the office area connected to the reception area. Through the open door of an adjacent room, a wooden long table and office chairs could be seen; it was likely the conference room. There were already four people inside, all seemingly upperclassmen, which made Konoe feel a bit pressured.

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

There were four people present. Besides Horikita Manabu and Tachibana Akane, whom he had already met, there was a male student with short black hair and sharp eyes staring at Konoe.

The other was a handsome guy with short dyed blonde hair and blue eyes. He had a sturdy build and looked like he was good at sports. He completely ignored Konoe's greeting and was engrossed in playing with his phone.

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

"Since everyone is here, let's move to the conference room for the meeting. I'll take this opportunity to introduce the new members," Horikita Manabu said, adjusting his glasses. Konoe then followed the seniors to the conference room.

After waiting for everyone else to sit down, Konoe sat at the end of the long table, next to the black-haired senior. The blonde man, however, continued to operate his phone even after the meeting began.

"These are the new members of the student council, Konoe Hirakawa from first-year Class D, currently serving as Clerk." Horikita Manabu, sitting in the main seat, introduced him directly.

"Class D? President, when did the student council start accepting students from Class D?" the blonde man asked, stopping his phone operation with a look of surprise.

"I'm also very surprised that Class D has students who are actually useful. Nagumo, if you deem this student unsuitable for the student council, you have the right to dismiss him."

Hearing that he was at risk of being expelled before he even properly sat down, Konoe quickly introduced himself: "Hello to all seniors, I am Konoe Hirakawa from first-year Class D. Although I've just entered the school, I understand what the school means by meritocracy. I will strive to improve myself on this basis, serve the students' various affairs, work hard to share the student council's workload, and try my best not to disappoint others' expectations."

Although Konoe was speaking insincerely, maintaining good relationships within the student council was not only for points but also for a better working environment in the future, which would make things smoother.

Nagumo Miyabi had a speechless expression and buried his head in his phone without replying.

"The one questioning you is the second-year Vice President, Nagumo Miyabi. Konoe, it's natural to be doubted for your abilities in Class D. You'll have to prove yourself with results from now on," Horikita Manabu continued.

"Yes, President."

Next, Tachibana Senpai helped introduce the student council members one by one.

The handsome guy with golden hair and blue eyes was Vice President Nagumo Miyabi, from second-year Class A. The black-haired student was Kiriyama Iki from second-year Class B, serving as Accountant. The remaining two were Student Council President Horikita Manabu and Secretary Tachibana Akane, both from third-year Class A.

After the introductions, Nagumo put his phone back in his bag and asked, "Konoe, I have a personal question for you. As someone from Class D, on what grounds did you join the student council? Ah, and don't give me that 'serving the students' speech you gave earlier."

Seeing that the Vice President was going to put pressure on him with an interview, Konoe thought for a moment before cautiously saying, "...Since the school upholds meritocracy, there's a risk of being eliminated at the bottom. So, even as someone from Class D, I hope to climb up as much as possible. It's my good fortune to be able to join the student council successfully using my strengths."

"Good fortune? I don't think it's just good fortune, is it?" Nagumo looked at Horikita Manabu and then asked, "However, I heard that among the recent applications, there were many students from Class A or Class B in the first year. I really don't know how outstanding your advantages are to have stood out."

"Nagumo, if you have doubts, you can check the details yourself. Tachibana has prepared the materials from the previous interviews. We need to move on to the formal meeting now, or do you intend to continue wasting time?" Horikita Manabu asked coldly.

"...Since the President has said so, of course, there's no problem. However, I suggest we all exchange contact information with this Clerk first. That way, we can arrange any work promptly in the future."

'Didn't I hear that the work here is easy, and I can leave after finishing, and only listen to the President?' Konoe felt a cold sweat trickle down his forehead as he exchanged contact information with his colleagues.

"For now, the guidance of Konoe's work will be temporarily handed over to Tachibana. Before he becomes familiar with the student council's work, he cannot be solely responsible for affairs, to avoid damaging the student council's reputation if he fails," Horikita Manabu responded to Nagumo. "Of course, if any of you believe some of your work can be shared with the Clerk, you can assign it to him. However, if Konoe performs poorly, the Arranger will be held responsible."

Without waiting for others to respond, Horikita Manabu directly pushed the meeting forward: "The next item on the agenda is..."

Horikita Manabu made arrangements for Konoe in just a few words. It seemed that the student council was indeed run by the President, and Konoe felt reassured by Horikita Manabu's previous promise, especially since Horikita Manabu had less than a year before graduation.