Could Kushida have watched too many anime about bands?
Anyone who didn't know better would think they were putting together some sort of five-girl band for rich young ladies to play pretend in.
"I'll support Kushida with everything I've got!"
"That's right! This month's class representative has to be Kushida!"
Kushida Kikyou's passionate declaration had clearly struck a chord with most of the people there. A wave of enthusiastic applause instantly filled the café.
Yamauchi Haruki and Kanji Ike, those two class clowns, were especially worked up. They clapped until their palms were red, like a pair of fanboys who'd just spotted their idols.
(...So... this community of shared destiny is definitely going to fall apart someday, right? After all, that's how the last band ended in tragedy.)
Shimizu Akira resisted the urge to rub his forehead. From the corner of his eye, he saw Ayanokouji Kiyotaka clapping mechanically along with the others, his poker face betraying not the slightest emotion.
(This guy's actually playing along, too...)
(Should I call him dedicated, or... just half-hearted?)
Kushida Kikyou folded her hands on the table and continued in a sincere tone, "First, I want to make one thing clear. Although Hirata and I are competing for the class representative position, we both want what's best for the class. I hope no one will hold anything against Hirata just because you're supporting me."
"As expected of Kushida! What an admirable attitude!"
"Exactly! If Hirata weren't always acting like such a popular guy, I wouldn't have chosen to join Kushida's side!"
The students responded all at once, their voices brimming with admiration for Kushida.
Kushida Kikyou straightened her skirt. "As vice class representative, I hope everyone will respect a few basic principles."
She raised one slender finger, her tone suddenly turning serious. "The first one concerns those hidden rules—" Her gaze slowly swept across everyone present. "Under no circumstances should we reveal them to the other classes. After all, the school system puts every class in competition with the others."
Then she raised a second finger. "Second, I hope everyone will strictly follow the student code of conduct from now on." Her voice held a note of earnestness. "We can't afford to lose any more precious Class Points because of disciplinary violations."
"Got it! We're Class D!" Kanji Ike shouted, thumping his chest, his face full of determination.
Yamauchi Haruki immediately chimed in. "Exactly! There's no way we'd let another class get their hands on such important information! This is information we paid a whole million Private Points for!"
"You two should worry about your own attendance first!" one of the girls couldn't help cutting in. "How many Class Points have we lost because of you two since the first week of school?"
"Hey, hey, you can't blame everything on us!" Yamauchi Haruki protested. "Doesn't Koenji show up late all the time, too? How come nobody says anything about him?"
Kushida Kikyou's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, but she quickly replaced the expression with a soothing smile. "All right, all right. Let's leave the past in the past. What matters is that everyone follows the school rules from now on~"
Then Kushida glanced at the time on her phone and put her hands together in an apologetic gesture. "It's getting late. I have one last small personal request..." She bowed solemnly to everyone. "I hope you'll help me win over those who didn't vote for Hirata."
"Hey~ Is there a reward?" a boy called out half-jokingly.
"Yeah, give us some motivation~" the others chimed in.
Yamauchi Haruki even jumped to his feet. "If I could go on a date with Kushida, I'd be more motivated than ever!"
Kushida's cheeks turned faintly red. After a moment's hesitation, she bit her lip. "O-Okay... Whoever gets the most votes will be the winner. As the winner's reward, if it's a single boy, I can promise to go on a date with him..." She hurriedly added, "If it's a girl, I'll give her an extra eighty thousand Private Points as thanks!"
(She's actually offering that kind of deal...)
(She's really going all out.)
Shimizu Akira couldn't help raising an eyebrow.
The boys around them were already in an uproar, like a school of sharks that had caught the scent of blood.
There was plenty of discussion among the girls, too. Eighty thousand points was no small sum; it was enough to let an ordinary student live it up for several days.
"That's all for today. If you have any questions, you can contact me in the group chat anytime." After Kushida Kikyou announced the meeting was over, she suddenly called out to Shimizu Akira, who was about to leave. "Um... Shimizu, could I talk to you alone for a few minutes?"
Noticing the puzzled looks the boys were giving her, she quickly waved her hands and explained, "Don't get the wrong idea! Shimizu is good friends with Kouenji, so I just wanted to ask him to help me get votes~"
The boys, who had been getting restless, immediately fell silent at the name "Kouenji Rokusuke." After all, he really had publicly said the week before that he owed Shimizu Akira a favor.
After everyone else had gradually left the café, Kushida Kikyou sat down across from Shimizu Akira, nervously clasping her hands in her lap.
"Shimizu..." Her voice was a little lower than usual. "Um... could I give you all the people I've managed to find?"
Shimizu Akira was just about to politely refuse—he had no reason to get involved in this.
Unexpectedly, she hadn't mentioned Kouenji Rokusuke at all.
(Give me the people I've found? Is she taking it for granted that I'll be her preselected winner?)
062 Kushida Kikyou: You jerk! You're awful! All you ever think about is points!
Kushida Kikyou was determined to become class representative.
She had already calculated every step of the election in meticulous detail.
The boys' heckling had been entirely within her expectations—or rather, it was exactly what she had carefully guided them toward.
If a boy won, Kushida Kikyou would go on a date with him.
If a girl won, Kushida would pay her eighty thousand Private Points as a reward.
But, well! Kushida Kikyou had only said that for show.
The boys who lusted after her made her sick. How could she possibly go on a date with them in earnest?
But eighty thousand points wasn't something she could casually hand over, either.
In the end, this contest was nothing more than a carrot dangled in front of her classmates to motivate them.
She wasn't going to give up anything.
But she couldn't afford to leave any loopholes, either. Her classmates weren't fools.
Almost instantly, she thought of the perfect solution: find a suitable partner.
Preferably a boy—when the other boys saw the two of them interacting intimately, they'd work even harder for her next time.
A perfect candidate immediately came to mind: Shimizu Akira.
Why? The reasons were obvious.
First, he was good-looking.
Tall and handsome, he was exactly her type.
Kushida Kikyou seemed gentle and kind to everyone, but her standards for the opposite sex were actually quite high.
Second, he was easy to be around.
The casual compliments he'd given her by the pool last time had made her feel happy in a way she rarely did.
After all, she spent every day carefully trying to please other people. It was a rare relief to speak without having to think so much for once.
Third, he was kind-hearted and easy to handle.
He was a good-natured guy with a simple mind, making him an ideal partner for her.
And, of course, there was one more important reason—she could use this opportunity to pry information about Horikita Suzune out of Shimizu Akira.
"Um... this is just a little personal wish of mine~" Kushida Kikyou lowered her head slightly, a bashful blush appearing on her cheeks as her long eyelashes fluttered. "I hope you can keep this a secret, Shimizu. Because... deep down, I'd rather see you win."
She looked up with her big, watery eyes and gave him a sweet smile tinged with shyness.
Perfect!
She smirked to herself.
This was one of her signature moves: first, create a sense of intimacy by sharing a secret, then use a line like "I hope you win" to draw the other person closer.
As the class's beautiful girl, with a whispered secret that had a hint of forbidden intimacy and a vulnerable pose, she could make anyone soften and agree, couldn't she?
But his reaction was completely unexpected.
Shimizu only rubbed his chin thoughtfully before hitting the nail on the head. "...You mean I'd be the preselected winner, right?"
"Ahem... N-No, that's not what I mean!" Kushida hurriedly waved her hands, her voice rising a little before she immediately slipped back into her pitiful tone. "I just... feel a little uneasy when those boys stare at me..."
"But at the pool on Monday," Shimizu calmly interrupted, "you didn't seem worried about that at all."
The sharp retort left Kushida speechless, all her carefully prepared lines stuck in her throat.
Kushida Kikyou's smile froze for a second, but she quickly recovered her innocent expression.
She tilted her head and spoke in a slightly aggrieved tone. "Honestly, Shimizu... I'm only trying to help you. Why do you always assume the worst of me?"
Without letting it show, she clenched the fingers hidden behind her back, her nails nearly digging into her palms.
Why was Shimizu Akira suddenly so hard to deal with?
At the pool, he'd still said all those nice things that had made her feel good.
Why had he suddenly changed?
How annoying!
"...Kushida." Shimizu Akira spread his hands. "Let's not beat around the bush. If you want to preselect me, fine. My price is eighty thousand points."
"..."
Kushida Kikyou lowered her head. Beneath the shadow of her bangs, the corner of her mouth twitched violently.
(You bastard!!!)
(You're actually asking me for points?)
(Those things you said by the pool to make me happy... Could they have just been preparation for this whole act?!)
(Otherwise, I wouldn't have chosen to approach him today!)
The thought made her anger flare up for some reason.
"Shimizu..." She suddenly smiled sweetly, though her tone held a faint edge. "Asking me for points out of nowhere doesn't seem to fit your character."
Shimizu Akira shrugged indifferently. "I've always been like this. Equal exchange, fair deal."
Then he put on a puzzled expression. "Actually, Kushida... what kind of person do you think I am?"
Before she could answer, Shimizu Akira turned and walked away. "Anyway, if you want my help, you have to give me something in return. Otherwise, forget it."
Watching him walk away, Kushida Kikyou couldn't suppress the unease stirring in her heart. It was a mixture of frustration at having her plans disrupted and a trace of an emotion she couldn't quite put into words... disappointment?
(How can I let him leave just like that?)
If she let the person who'd seen through her plan walk away, he might reveal the truth about her preselection. Then her classmates would look at her with contempt, and the perfect image she'd painstakingly built up in Class D would collapse completely.
She glanced at the scattered customers around the café and forced herself to maintain her sweet smile.
In a public place like this, she couldn't get angry or resort to more drastic measures.
"...Shimizu," she hurried after the boy, who had already reached the door. Her voice was so soft only the two of them could hear. "As long as you promise to keep this secret and become my assistant..." Her long eyelashes fluttered. "Eighty thousand points, or a date with me..."
"Sure. Then I'll take the eighty thousand points."
His reply was so immediate that her breathing caught.
Shimizu Akira didn't even turn around. He just waved his phone, its screen clearly displaying the transfer page.
(This bastard... All he thinks about is points!)
Kushida Kikyou's expression had turned utterly grim.
(Even if he agreed, it'd only be a verbal promise! I don't believe he'll keep his word. What if he lets it slip to the other students, on purpose or by accident?)
(When it comes down to it... I simply don't trust him! I don't trust anyone! I only believe in the dirt people have on them!)
(But I don't know what dirt he has on him, so I have no way to control him!)
Kushida Kikyou's nails nearly pierced her palms as a dangerous thought flashed through her mind—
(If he doesn't have any dirt on him, couldn't I just make some myself?)
But then she shook her head inwardly. (No, it hasn't come to that...)
(In the end, this is just a little election trick. Is it really worth going that far? I've never done anything like that before!)
063 I'll leave a handprint on your clothes.
Shimizu Akira had no idea about the dark thoughts churning in the girl behind him.
To him, Kushida's reaction was perfectly normal. Clever people always hated uncertainty, like chess players who couldn't stand an opponent who refused to follow the rules.
People like that always wanted to keep the initiative firmly in their own hands. Even their partnerships had to be designed as one-sided arrangements.
(But there's no such thing as a free lunch, is there?)
Shimizu Akira toyed with his phone, his gaze calm as he looked at the school's goddess before him.
(She's an absolutely flawless beauty...)
Before you continue