It seemed the homeroom teachers' relationships weren't that simple either. This was quite something.
Hashiba Hikaru quietly tucked this discovery away, but just then, a new notification popped up on the System Panel.
[Beep! Chabashira Sae Stock has gone live!]
[Current stock price: 50]
[Number of shares issued: 4,000]
Huh???
The boy, who had just been sneering inwardly, was completely dumbfounded by the new notification. So teachers could gain affection points too?
Was this system even remotely proper?
Outstanding Class A
After collecting the textbooks from the homeroom teacher's office and printing out the contract, Hashiba Hikaru returned to the classroom. There, Hoshinomiya-sensei announced the Class 1-B class leader election.
As expected, the moment the students in Class 1-B heard about it, they all looked toward Hashiba Hikaru, who had just stood up to offer advice for the class.
But when they looked over, they saw the boy speaking quietly with Ichinose beside him. Then he stood and announced, "Everyone, I hope Ichinose will become our class leader."
"Ichinose has many strengths that I lack. I believe she can be someone the class can rely on, lead everyone forward, and ultimately fulfill our shared wish of graduating from Class A."
"I'll support Ichinose's work as her assistant, and together we'll contribute to Class 1-B."
Hashiba Hikaru had come up with this speech on the way over. He didn't want to become the class leader, since it would make things troublesome when he dealt with the newly listed characters later. Being an assistant would be much easier.
After the plan he had just presented, quite a few students in Class 1-B had become Hashiba's supporters. They wanted the boy to become class leader and guide Class 1-B through every obstacle.
But now that the person in question had clearly stated he wasn't interested, there was nothing they could do.
The students in Class 1-B then voiced their support one after another. "If that's what Hashiba thinks, then I trust your judgment."
"That's right. Ichinose is great too. I'm sure she can bring everyone in Class 1-B together."
"I support Ichinose as class leader!"
And so, what should have been a fiercely contested election was settled in no time, thanks to the boy's initiative.
Seated at her desk, Ichinose Honami saw everyone urging her to take the position. She had no choice but to stand and accept their request, becoming Class 1-B's class leader.
The quiet conversation Hashiba Hikaru had just had with the girl had been simple. He pointed out that bringing the class together would be crucial in future competition between the classes, but he couldn't do that himself. He had no experience managing his classmates, whereas Ichinose had served as class president before and was well suited to the position.
Finally, Hashiba Hikaru added that he had complete faith in Ichinose and hoped she would step up without hesitation. It was the best solution for Class 1-B, so Ichinose Honami agreed.
The class officer election was over, but the students in Class 1-B didn't disperse. They all stayed in the classroom, watching Hashiba Hikaru and Ichinose leave and waiting for the results of their first negotiation with Class A.
Meanwhile, Hashiba Hikaru and Ichinose Honami, carrying the contract and a notebook containing the rules, arrived in the hallway outside the Class A classroom. A class officer election was taking place inside.
A striking boy stood at the front of the classroom. It wasn't because he was handsome, but because he had the hairstyle of a true powerhouse—a shaved head.
He had regular features and a sturdy build, and looked extremely steady. His name, Katsuragi Kohei, was written on the blackboard.
He was giving a speech to win votes.
Beside Katsuragi Kohei's name was another, written in exceptionally elegant handwriting: Sakayanagi Arisu.
"Looks like we've arrived in the middle of Class A's class officer election."
Hashiba Hikaru and Ichinose stood in the hallway, peering through the window at the classroom.
"But why isn't there a teacher in Class A? Have they already gone back?"
Ichinose Honami quickly noticed something unusual. Inside, there were only boys and girls in burgundy uniforms; there was no one who looked like a teacher.
"Even without a teacher, the classroom isn't noisy at all, is it?" Hashiba Hikaru narrowed his eyes without thinking. He had been planning to use this chance to observe Class A.
After all, the school had assigned the most outstanding students to that class, and it was Class 1-B's most important rival.
"Yes. Class A's teacher must have left the whole thing to the students to handle themselves."
Ichinose Honami's expression grew serious. Seeing Class A's atmosphere with her own eyes had given her a deeper understanding of the school's class placement rules.
There was no teacher in the classroom, and the students weren't doing any schoolwork; they were only electing class officers. Even so, no one was slacking off. Everyone was listening attentively to the candidates' speeches.
"That's all for my campaign speech. I hope I can count on everyone's support."
As soon as the bald boy finished speaking, the classroom erupted in enthusiastic applause. It seemed he was popular in Class A.
Then another boy standing beside the podium announced, "Next, Classmate Sakayanagi."
"Ohhh!"
"Good luck, Classmate Sakayanagi! We're rooting for you!"
When it was Classmate Sakayanagi's turn, the classroom burst into even louder applause and cheers. Some students even called out her name.
The next moment, Hashiba Hikaru and Ichinose Honami saw a petite figure rise from her seat and slowly make her way to the podium.
She was a girl with short silver hair and fair skin. Her elfin appearance seemed even more delicate against her silver locks. What stood out most was the black cane in her right hand as she walked, as if she needed its support to move around comfortably.
"Is there something wrong with her health?"
Hashiba Hikaru rubbed his chin, but soon another question occurred to him.
According to the school rules, the students assigned to Class A had the highest overall abilities in their year. Yet this girl named Sakayanagi Arisu had such an obvious physical weakness.
If she needed a cane just to walk, she could forget about sports. She was at an even greater disadvantage than Hashiba Hikaru, whose stamina was only three points.
And yet she was still in Class A, which meant she must have even more formidable talents in other areas.
Intelligence? Mental acuity? Analytical ability?
Any of those were possible.
Just as Hashiba Hikaru's expression changed, a soft voice came from inside the classroom.
"Would the two students outside mind telling me what you're doing?"
Sakayanagi Arisu, her silver hair gleaming, had already noticed the two people outside the window. She even met Hashiba Hikaru's gaze.
"..."
Looks like they'd been spotted.
Now that Hashiba Hikaru and Ichinose Honami beside him had been noticed, they simply walked into the Class A classroom together.
"Sorry, we weren't trying to eavesdrop on your class officer election. We're just here to discuss something with you."
Ichinose Honami spoke first. Now that she was Class 1-B's class leader, she had to take responsibility for her duties.
"What is it about?"
The bald boy who had just finished his campaign speech, Katsuragi Kohei, was the one who spoke. His expression was calm, and he had a solid, steady presence.
"It's about the school's hidden rules." Ichinose Honami first introduced the two of them. "I'm Ichinose Honami from Class 1-B. This is my classmate, Hashiba."
"What we have to tell you is important, so could you take a look at this first?"
The girl held out the contract. Just as Katsuragi Kohei was about to reach for it, Sakayanagi Arisu spoke from behind him.
"Katsuragi, please wait a moment."
"Do you have a question, Classmate Sakayanagi?"
"I was wondering if you could let me finish my campaign speech first." Sakayanagi Arisu's lips curled into a faint smile. "Once the winner has been decided, the class leader can then speak with students from the other classes. That would be the most appropriate course of action, wouldn't it?"
"..."
Well, well. Classmate Sakayanagi looked so delicate and frail, but she was surprisingly aggressive.
Hashiba Hikaru exchanged a glance with Ichinose Honami beside him. They both saw that something was off. It seemed the two candidates for class officer didn't get along.
Ichinose Honami quietly asked Hashiba Hikaru, "What should we do now, Hashiba?"
"No rush. We're guests, so we'll follow their lead and wait until they've worked things out." Hashiba Hikaru shook his head. They still had time. "As the saying goes, it's easier to fish in muddied waters."
"What kind of saying is that? I've never heard it before."
"Uh... Just assume I made it up."
A Divided Class A
After Sakayanagi Arisu stopped Katsuragi Kohei from reaching for the contract, showing him no courtesy at all, the atmosphere in the classroom instantly grew tense.
Hashiba Hikaru and Ichinose Honami happened to be standing nearby. They watched as the bald boy was rebuffed by Sakayanagi Arisu's words and awkwardly pulled his hand back.
"Classmate Sakayanagi makes a fair point. Please go ahead with your campaign speech."
Although Katsuragi Kohei looked displeased, he didn't lose his temper. Instead, he walked over to Hashiba Hikaru. With Ichinose Honami, the three of them stood beside the podium and waited for Sakayanagi's speech.
"All right. Thank you for your cooperation, Katsuragi."
Sakayanagi Arisu smiled gently, then took hold of her cane and began speaking at the podium. Her speech covered the usual things, like helping the class and bringing everyone together.
But Sakayanagi's sweet, charming appearance, along with her fairy-tale-like silver hair, drew everyone's attention. After all, who didn't like a pretty girl?
A little while later, her campaign speech ended, and the Class A classroom once again rang with enthusiastic applause.
The next step was counting the votes. The students organizing the class officer election collected everyone's ballots and recorded the totals beneath the two names on the blackboard.
Hashiba Hikaru had been thoroughly enjoying the spectacle from the sidelines. Seeing this, he leaned over to Ichinose Honami and asked,
"Who do you think will win, Ichinose?"
"I'm not sure either. Katsuragi and Sakayanagi both seem very popular."
Ichinose Honami couldn't judge the situation, but as far as her own preferences went, she admired Sakayanagi Arisu more.
After all, despite her physical disability, Sakayanagi was able to show such outstanding qualities. As a woman, Ichinose couldn't help but respect her.
"What do you think, Hashiba?"
"I think... the result might surprise everyone."
Hashiba Hikaru shrugged and looked at the student tallying the votes on the blackboard. The totals beneath Katsuragi Kohei's and Sakayanagi Arisu's names were rising at the same pace, so it was hard to make a prediction.
About five or six minutes later, the count finally ended.
"The voting results are in."
"Katsuragi Kohei, twenty votes." The boy announcing the results wore glasses, and disbelief was written all over his face. "Sakayanagi Arisu, twenty votes... The result is a tie!"
"What? How did it turn out like this?"
"They actually tied?"
The tense atmosphere in the Class A classroom turned noisy again. No one had expected the votes to end in a tie, and even Katsuragi Kohei, standing beside Hashiba Hikaru, fell silent.
"Should we count the votes again?"
Someone suggested it, but another student quickly rejected the idea.
"What if the count is still tied? Are you going to waste everyone's time here?"
"Uh, that's not what I meant."
"Then what did you mean?!"
The person who jumped in had a short temper and seemed unable to accept the result. Just as he was about to lose his temper, Hashiba Hikaru heard Katsuragi suddenly speak.
"Yahiko, sit down. Now isn't the time to argue about this."
"All right, Katsuragi."
Yahiko, the short-haired boy Katsuragi had addressed, seemed to trust him deeply. After hearing his reminder, he quickly shut his mouth and sat back down.
Katsuragi Kohei then turned to Sakayanagi Arisu, who was standing at the other side of the podium, and asked, "Sakayanagi, what do you want to do about the tie?"
"I don't have any particular ideas. If that's what my classmates want, then I'll just have to accept it."
In other words, she absolutely wouldn't compromise. Either they counted the votes again, or neither of them would become class leader.
"You..."
"Um..." Hashiba Hikaru suddenly stepped in and interrupted the two. He didn't want to waste any more time. "I have a suggestion. How about we put the election on hold, settle the matter we came to discuss, and then you can count the votes again?"
"What we're about to tell you is very important. It might even change the minds of the Class A students."
Before you continue