The Story Outside the Student Council Office Door

Shangguan Che's fingertips tapped rapidly on his phone screen as he sent a leave request to Hirata: "Sorry, I have to miss Soccer Club practice today. I have an urgent matter to attend to."

The notification that the message had been sent successfully popped up. He put his phone away, his gaze drifting involuntarily toward the end of the corridor—there, Ichinose Honami was holding a stack of documents, her long pink hair swaying gently with her steps. The paper on top, printed with "Student Council Application," was particularly eye-catching in the sunlight.

Originally, Shangguan Che had planned to "scout" the Student Council tomorrow, but seeing this scene, the thought in his mind suddenly shifted: "Maybe today is a better time. Who knows, I might just catch an opportunity gifted by the goddess of luck."

Shangguan Che activated his Clairvoyance ability, his line of sight following Ichinose's figure closely until she walked into the area where the Student Council office was located.

There were a few students waiting at the door. Without hesitation, he walked straight through the crowd and stopped in front of the pink-haired girl who was busy organizing her documents.

"Excuse me, are you here to apply for the Student Council?" he asked, trying to keep his tone as natural as possible.

Ichinose looked up, her clear eyes carrying a gentle smile as she nodded: "Yes, I'm waiting for my interview right now. Also, my name is Ichinose Honami. May I ask what your name is?"

As she spoke, she extended her right hand. Her fingertips were slightly flushed, and her demeanor was poised and generous, without a hint of nervousness.

"I'm Shangguan Che, from Class D, first year." Shangguan Che reached out to shake her hand. As the soft sensation of the girl's palm reached him, the melody of a nursery rhyme he had heard as a child suddenly popped into his head—"Salute, shake hands, you are my good friend."

He quickly pulled his thoughts back, released her hand, and asked: "I want to join the Student Council too, but I don't know how to go about it. Could I ask for your advice, Ichinose-san?"

"Sure! I wouldn't call it advice, though; helping a classmate is just a normal thing to do." Ichinose's voice was like a warm spring breeze, making one feel at ease.

"Great, let's exchange contact information. We can talk about the details later. You go ahead and prepare for your interview; I won't disturb you any further." Shangguan Che took out his phone and opened the friend request interface.

"Shangguan-kun is really considerate of others." Ichinose smiled as she scanned the code, and the notification sound for a successful friend request rang out simultaneously.

"Then thank you for the compliment."

Just as the two finished chatting, the office door suddenly opened and a boy exuding an "elite aura" walked out—not the kind of imagination Shangguan Che had previously projected onto Hirata, but a temperament that seemed to radiate light itself.

"Katsuragi-kun, how did the interview go?" Ichinose stepped forward to ask.

The boy's expression was serious, but his tone couldn't hide a hint of disappointment: "I'm not sure. The Student Council President told me to go back and wait for notification."

"Is that so?" Ichinose wore a worried expression.

"However, I feel like it's unlikely I'll pass," Katsuragi's voice dropped a notch.

"But until the results are out, nobody really knows, right?" Ichinose comforted him softly.

Just then, a girl wearing a secretary's uniform walked out and called out loudly: "Next, Ichinose Honami from Class B, first year."

"I'm going in now, Shangguan-kun. Let's chat on our phones," Ichinose said, picking up her documents and turning to Shangguan Che.

"No worries, I'll wait for you," Shangguan Che waved his hand, thinking to himself: "I thought she was just here to submit an application, I didn't expect she was already at the interview stage."

Since he had already taken leave from the Soccer Club, waiting a little longer didn't matter.

"That works too," Ichinose said with a smile as she walked into the office.

Only Shangguan Che and Katsuragi remained at the office door. The boy took the initiative to step forward: "Hello, my name is Katsuragi Kohei, from Class A, first year."

"Shangguan Che, Class D." Shangguan Che reached out to shake his hand, muttering to himself: "Why is everyone who signs up for the Student Council so fond of shaking hands? Are they all this enthusiastic?"

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Katsuragi said: "Well, nothing else, I'll be going now."

"Alright, goodbye, Katsuragi-kun."

"Goodbye."

Watching Katsuragi's retreating back, Shangguan Che was finally able to calm his mind.

He looked left and right, and seeing that no one was paying attention to him, he whispered in his heart: "Sharingan, activate!"

Through the office door, Shangguan Che clearly saw the scene inside: the Student Council President was sitting sternly in the main seat, Tachibana, the secretary who had called the names earlier, was standing behind him, and Ichinose was standing in the middle, seemingly answering questions.

Unfortunately, he didn't know how to read lips at all. He could only see their movements and had no idea what they were saying.

"Should I learn how to read lips?" The moment this thought popped up, Shangguan Che suppressed it: "Forget it, that's too hard for me. I'd better look for other useful information."

Shangguan Che shifted his gaze to the desk in front of the Student Council President, where Ichinose's application and several other papers were placed.

Looking closely, one of the papers was actually a transcript of the first-year entrance exam, and the name at the very top was clearly "Ichinose Honami," with "First Place" written in the grade column.

Shangguan Che was shocked: "What?! First place in the first-year entrance exam, and this kind of person still has moments of insecurity?"

As soon as he thought this, he shook his head: "Shangguan Che, you aren't her, how can you judge so easily?"

Shangguan Che continued to observe and found that most of the documents on the desk were records of club activities, a small portion were reports on handling disputes among upperclassmen, and there were even a few sheets regarding suggestions for the school's architectural layout.

"It's all stuff that isn't very useful," Shangguan Che felt a bit disappointed. Just as he was about to retract his gaze, a familiar voice came from behind him.

"What is Shangguan-kun thinking about?" Ichinose's voice was like an angel descending, carrying a gentle smile.

Shangguan Che turned around abruptly and said in a flustered manner: "Oh, I was just spacing out, it's nothing."

"By the way, Ichinose, I think your application is so well-prepared. Could I use it as a reference? You don't have to give it to me, just let me take a photo," he suddenly had an idea and asked quickly.

"Sure," Ichinose agreed without hesitation, taking the application out of her bag and handing it to him.

"You're really too kind, Ichinose. Thank you. Would you like me to treat you to a meal?" Shangguan Che said with a smile while taking photos.

At that moment, he felt as if his wallet was "protesting": "You're so noble! What about your attribute-boosting plan? You're just going to slack off now? I'm reporting you for throwing the game!"

"No need, Shangguan-kun, it's just a small thing," Ichinose declined with a smile.

"That's fine, I'll definitely return this favor in the future." Shangguan Che put his phone away and "soothed" his wallet in his mind: "Look, didn't I just save you the cost of a meal? I won, I won."