However... Horikita Manabu hesitated.
He and Miyabi Nagumo were only at odds over their ideals. They had no serious personal conflict.
But Kijima Tsukur was simply too strong. He had no doubt that the man before him could easily crush Miyabi Nagumo if he wanted to.
On the other hand, Kijima Tsukur could just as easily crush him.
So what was Kijima Tsukur's goal? What were his ideals?
Letting him join the Student Council would undoubtedly be like inviting a wolf into the fold. Horikita Manabu made up his mind in an instant: he had to be even more cautious around Kijima Tsukur!
"Is that so?"
Miyabi Nagumo narrowed his eyes, but there wasn't much more he could say.
He could more or less guess what was going on.
Perhaps Horikita Manabu had some special ability that let him roughly judge a person's strength. This was the first time he'd ever seen Horikita Manabu lose his composure like this.
What kind of person could make Horikita Manabu lose his composure?
At the thought,
Miyabi Nagumo turned his attention to this year's new students, too.
Yamamura Miki unfolded the folding chair and set it beside Ichinose Honami, then quietly hid behind her.
Kijima Tsukur sat down without a care in the world.
He crossed his legs, rested both hands on his knees, and looked at them as if he were in his own home.
Ichinose Honami and Katsuragi Kohei were both dumbfounded. Weren't they here to apply for the Student Council? Why was this guy acting so casually?
"You..."
Behind the desk,
Tachibana Akane glared at him fiercely.
She'd already told them to mind their manners, and yet he was still being so brazen. He'd even brought his own chair?
He clearly had no respect for the Student Council. Tachibana Akane fixed her soft, limpid eyes on Kijima Tsukur and chided him in a sweet voice:
"You're in front of President Horikita. Watch your attitude."
"It's fine."
Horikita Manabu's expression was more solemn than ever. He still didn't know what Kijima Tsukur was capable of, so he had to remain on his guard. He said gravely:
"I don't believe I saw the two of you in the gym earlier, so allow me to introduce everyone. I'm Horikita Manabu of Class 3-A, the Student Council President. Beside me are Vice President Nagumo of Class 2-A, Vice President Kiriyama of Class 2-B, and Secretary Tachibana Akane of Class 3-A."
The man introduced as Vice President Kiriyama nodded calmly. Tachibana Akane continued to glare fiercely at Kijima Tsukur, the man who had dared to show disrespect to Horikita Manabu.
Only the blond man sitting beside them smiled cheerfully and raised a hand in greeting:
"Hello, everyone. I'm Miyabi Nagumo of Class 2-A. I'd rather you call me Nagumo-senpai than Vice President. It feels a bit friendlier that way."
At that,
Katsuragi and Ichinose Honami immediately relaxed a little.
Horikita Manabu was so cold and intimidating that he seemed difficult to approach, while Miyabi Nagumo looked easy to talk to.
"I didn't expect four people to want to join the Student Council all at once this year."
Miyabi Nagumo looked back at Horikita Manabu with a smile. "That's great, isn't it, President Horikita? It'll make things a lot easier for us."
At those words,
Ichinose Honami and Katsuragi both relaxed again.
What Horikita Manabu had said in the gym earlier had been rather intimidating. Hearing Miyabi Nagumo say that made it seem like joining the Student Council wouldn't be so difficult after all.
"The Student Council only welcomes people with the necessary ability."
Horikita Manabu glanced at Ichinose and the others. They'd been so easily taken in by Miyabi Nagumo's facade that Horikita Manabu had already written them off.
Still, he said gravely:
"Whatever your reasons for wanting to join the Student Council, start by introducing yourselves."
The group exchanged glances. In the end, Katsuragi stepped forward first, speaking in a steady voice.
"Hello, senpai. I'm Katsuragi Kohei, a new student in Class 1-A. I served as both class representative and student council president in middle school. I hope to become a member of the Student Council in high school, learn from all of you, and do my part for Advanced Nurturing. I want to help make school life better for everyone."
Clap, clap, clap.
Miyabi Nagumo applauded with a cheerful smile.
"I didn't expect to find such an outstanding new student as Katsuragi-kun this year. I'd be glad to have you join the Student Council. But at our school, the Student Council President holds all the power, so the final decision is up to President Horikita."
"Thank you for the advice, Nagumo-senpai. Whether or not I'm able to join the Student Council, I'm willing to do my part for the school."
Katsuragi Kohei bowed slightly and returned to the others, as composed as ever.
Horikita Manabu hadn't looked at him once. He said flatly:
"Next."
"Yes!"
Ichinose Honami stepped forward, placing her right hand over her ample chest. Her bright, energetic face immediately seemed to lift everyone's spirits.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Ichinose Honami, a new student in Class 1-B. I've served as both class representative and student council president. Due to certain circumstances, I wasn't able to continue as president in my third year of middle school, and I caused everyone a lot of trouble. I sincerely apologize for that."
"Even so, I still hope to join the Student Council and become one of its members. Besides my small wish to make up for my past mistakes, I hope I can do my part to bring everyone a happy school life."
After she finished,
Ichinose Honami met everyone's scrutiny with an open, honest gaze.
Compared to Katsuragi,
her résumé wasn't particularly impressive.
Depending on how you looked at it, failing to remain president could even count against her. At the very least, it suggested that she had some shortcomings.
So Ichinose Honami hoped to win them over with her sincerity. It was one of her strengths, after all.
However,
Horikita Manabu also knew that this strength would only make things worse when Miyabi Nagumo was involved. He couldn't let Ichinose Honami join the Student Council.
"Next!"
Ichinose Honami stepped back. She wasn't disappointed.
After all, the Student Council President didn't seem inclined to give them an answer on the spot. He was probably taking their feelings into account.
Whether or not she could join the Student Council was still up in the air.
For a moment,
everyone's gaze turned to Kijima Tsukur, and Miyabi Nagumo narrowed his eyes with a smile.
From what he'd seen so far,
Katsuragi Kohei and Ichinose Honami were both fairly capable, but neither was so exceptional that they could make Horikita Manabu lose his composure.
Which meant...
The one who'd made Horikita Manabu lose his composure had to be Kijima Tsukur.
He'd take a good look and see what this guy had going for him—and whether he was impressive enough to warrant Miyabi Nagumo stepping in.
Behind them,
Yamamura Miki finally let out a sigh of relief.
When she'd first entered the room,
both Horikita Manabu and Miyabi Nagumo had noticed her.
Yamamura Miki had been terrified, trembling at the thought that someone might call on her to introduce herself.
But now...
Yamamura Miki secretly gave herself a little hand gesture.
Yes!
They'd forgotten her again!
The Strongest Man in History!
"Kijima Tsukur."
Leaning back in his chair with his legs crossed, Kijima Tsukur asked:
"I didn't expect the Student Council to be so tolerant. You don't seem at all bothered by my rudeness. Is this what the teacher meant when they said, 'This school judges students by their ability'?"
"That's right. Advanced Nurturing is all about survival of the fittest."
Miyabi Nagumo answered first, leaning back in his chair as well. He smiled and said:
"People with ability naturally get certain privileges. Actually, Ichinose and Katsuragi, you don't have to be so tense, either. Feel free to sit down."
"Uh..."
Ichinose and Katsuragi exchanged glances.
They still wanted to make a good impression on their senpai, so they politely declined. They were also curious that Kijima Tsukur didn't seem to have any intention of introducing himself.
"I see."
Kijima Tsukur could tell that he was more likely to get an answer from Miyabi Nagumo. He pointed at the ceiling with his right hand and asked:
"Does the Student Council pay a salary? Or, rather, how many points do you get each month?"
Hm?
Ichinose and Katsuragi were slightly taken aback. Neither of them had even considered the question.
They glanced at Kijima Tsukur in surprise, then looked toward Horikita Manabu and the others, waiting for an answer.
"Well, it does, actually."
Miyabi Nagumo leaned back in his chair and nodded, answering with complete candor and a smile:
"The Student Council President gets 20,000 a month, the Vice President gets 15,000, the secretary and treasurer each get 10,000, and the general affairs officer gets 5,000. At the moment, the only vacancies are for secretary and general affairs, so at most two of you can join the Student Council."
"But don't worry. I personally think all of you are qualified to join. Two more positions will open up when the third-years graduate in the second half of the year, so you can join then."
Ichinose Honami and Katsuragi were stunned.
More than the fact that only two of them could join the Student Council, they were surprised that the position really came with a salary—and that Miyabi Nagumo had actually answered the question.
"You don't need to be so surprised. Other clubs work the same way."
Miyabi Nagumo had noticed their astonishment and smiled.
"If you join a club, you'll find that official members all get points as a reward. It's just that clubs don't give them to every member the way the Student Council does."
Clearly,
the school was using points to encourage students to participate in campus activities.
Katsuragi frowned,
not quite believing that anything in life came for free.
Ichinose, on the other hand, was pleased. She liked this kind of education system, where hard work was rewarded.
"All right, that's all I'll tell you."
Miyabi Nagumo turned to Kijima Tsukur with a smile and said:
"Although the school values ability, and I personally support strong people having certain privileges, you still have to prove that you're strong first. If you want to join the Student Council, you should at least introduce yourself. Just giving us your name won't be enough to get you accepted, Kijima-kun."
"Is that so?"
Kijima Tsukur didn't care about what the other man had said. He simply followed his own train of thought.
"Then let me ask one more question. How many points would it take to buy the Student Council secretary position?"
Hm?
Before you continue