Shangguan Che's fingers flew across his phone screen as he sent Hirata a message asking for leave: "Sorry, I have to miss Soccer Club practice. Something urgent came up."
A notification confirmed it had been sent. He put his phone away, his gaze drifting involuntarily toward the end of the hallway. There, Ichinose Honami was carrying a stack of files, her pink hair swaying gently with each step. The sheet on top, marked "Student Council Application," stood out in the sunlight.
Shangguan Che had originally planned to check out the Student Council tomorrow, but seeing this changed his mind. Maybe going today would be better. I might even get lucky and catch an opportunity sent my way by the goddess of fortune.
Shangguan Che activated his "Clairvoyance" ability, keeping his eyes fixed on Ichinose until she entered the area where the Student Council Office was located.
Several students were waiting outside the door. Without much hesitation, he walked straight through the crowd and up to the pink-haired girl, who was busy sorting through her files.
"Excuse me, are you applying to join the Student Council?" He did his best to sound casual.
Ichinose looked up, her clear eyes carrying a warm smile. She nodded. "Yes, we're waiting for our interviews. Oh, and my name is Ichinose Honami. What's yours?"
As she spoke, she extended her right hand, the tips of her fingers faintly red. She was poised and at ease, without a hint of nervousness.
"My name is Shangguan Che. Class 1-D." Shangguan Che reached out to shake her hand. The softness of her palm brought a childhood nursery rhyme to mind: "Salute, then shake your hand, you're my good friend."
He quickly snapped out of it and let go. "I'd like to join the Student Council too. I'm not sure what I need to do. Could I ask you for some advice, Ichinose?"
"Sure. Though I wouldn't call it advice. Helping a classmate is just an ordinary thing to do." Ichinose's voice was like a warm spring breeze, comforting to hear.
"Great. Then let's exchange contact information, and we can talk about the details later. Go ahead and keep preparing for your interview. I won't bother you." Shangguan Che took out his phone and opened the friend request screen.
"You're so considerate, Shangguan." Ichinose smiled as she scanned his code. A chime sounded as they became friends.
"Then I'll take that compliment. Thanks."
Just as they finished talking, the office door suddenly opened, and a boy with an unmistakable air of excellence stepped out. It wasn't like Shangguan Che's earlier imagining of Hirata; this guy really did seem to radiate a glow of his own.
"How did the interview go, Katsuragi?" Ichinose hurried over to ask.
The boy's expression was serious, but his voice betrayed some disappointment. "I'm not sure. The Student Council president told me to go home and wait for word."
"Oh, I see." Ichinose looked concerned.
"But I don't think I have much chance of getting in." Katsuragi's voice dropped.
"You won't know until they announce the results, right?" Ichinose said gently, trying to reassure him.
Just then, a girl wearing the secretary's uniform came out and called loudly, "Next, Ichinose Honami from Class 1-B!"
"I'll head in now, Shangguan. We can talk on our phones." Ichinose picked up her files and turned to him.
"No problem. I'll wait." Shangguan Che waved her on, thinking, I thought she was just here to hand in her application. I didn't realize she was already at the interview stage.
He'd already gotten permission to miss Soccer Club practice, so waiting a little longer was no big deal.
"That works, then." Ichinose smiled and walked into the office.
Only Shangguan Che and Katsuragi remained outside the office. The boy stepped forward first. "Hello, I'm Katsuragi Kohei from Class 1-A."
"Shangguan Che, Class D." Shangguan Che reached out to shake his hand, privately wondering, Why is everyone who comes to sign up for the Student Council so fond of shaking hands? Are they all this enthusiastic?
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Katsuragi said, "Well, I should get going."
"Sure. Goodbye, Katsuragi."
"Goodbye."
Watching Katsuragi walk away, Shangguan Che could finally settle down.
He glanced around. No one was paying attention to him, so he silently said to himself, Sharingan, activate!
Through the office door, Shangguan Che could clearly see what was happening inside. The Student Council president sat sternly at the head of the table, while Secretary Tachibana, who had called out the next candidate, stood behind him. Ichinose stood in the middle, seemingly answering questions.
Unfortunately, he had no idea how to read lips. He could only see their movements and had no clue what they were saying.
Should I learn to read lips? The thought had barely occurred to him before he pushed it aside. Forget it. That'd be way too difficult for me. I'd be better off looking for something else useful.
Shangguan Che shifted his gaze to the desk in front of the Student Council president. Ichinose's application and several other sheets of paper lay there.
Looking more closely, he realized one of the sheets was the written exam score report from the first-year entrance exam. The name at the very top was "Ichinose Honami," and her score was marked "First Place."
Shangguan Che was startled. What?! First place on the written entrance exam? And someone like her can still feel insecure?
The moment he thought that, he shook his head. Shangguan Che, you're not her. How can you judge her like that?
He kept watching and saw that most of the files on the desk were records of club activities. A small portion were reports on disputes among upperclassmen, and there were even a few suggestions about the arrangement of the school buildings.
None of this is much use, Shangguan Che thought with some disappointment. Just as he was about to look away, a familiar voice came from behind him.
"What are you thinking about, Shangguan?" Ichinose's voice was like an angel's, warm and smiling.
Shangguan Che whipped around and said somewhat flusteredly, "Uh, I spaced out for a moment. It's nothing."
"Oh, right, Ichinose. Your application looks so thorough. Could I use it as a reference? I won't take it with me. I'll just take a picture." An idea suddenly came to him, and he hurriedly asked.
"Sure." Ichinose agreed without hesitation, taking the application out of her bag and handing it to him.
"You're the best, Ichinose. Thank you. How about I treat you to a meal?" Shangguan Che said with a smile as he took a picture.
At that moment, he could almost hear his wallet protesting: "You think you're so generous! What happened to your plan to increase your attributes? You're already giving up? I'm reporting you for throwing the match!"
"No need, Shangguan. It's just a small thing." Ichinose smiled and declined.
"Then all right. I'll return the favor someday." Shangguan Che put away his phone, mentally soothing his wallet. See? I just saved you the cost of a meal. We won, we won.
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