"I was wondering if you'd be interested in joining the Student Council."
"The Student Council? What's in it for me?"
Kageya Shinjitsu wasn't particularly interested in the Student Council.
But if there were benefits, the rules weren't too strict, and he could throw his weight around by riding on someone else's coattails, then he was a little interested.
Chapter Fourteen: The Benefits of the Student Council, Miyabi Nagumo
Benefits?
Horikita Manabu rarely met students who went straight to the point and asked what was in it for them.
Even when they had that thought, most usually kept it hidden, then took advantage of their position after joining the Student Council.
Benefits were something to talk about later.
Looking at Kageya Shinjitsu's serious expression,
Horikita Manabu spoke plainly.
"Whether it's a school club or the Student Council, you'll earn a certain number of points if you achieve results. If you apply to join the Student Council, I'll arrange for you to receive one hundred thousand points a month. If you do well, there'll be special rewards."
"Of course, income comes with responsibilities. The Student Council has to handle things like disputes between students, planning club activities, and enforcing all kinds of school rules. You'll have assignments too."
He was also giving him some extra information.
"One hundred thousand points is what an ordinary Student Council member gets. If you hold a position, like Student Council President or Vice President, the number of points will increase."
"That'll depend on your abilities."
"That actually sounds pretty interesting."
Listening to him, Kageya Shinjitsu had grown a little interested in the Student Council.
He'd get points and have authority, too.
An idea came to him.
Are they trying to cultivate students with a wide range of talents? People with all kinds of abilities?
Using points as bait.
But he had no intention of accepting right away.
"Take some time to think about it. You can give me your answer the next time we meet."
Horikita Manabu didn't press him for an immediate answer.
He'd invited him because of his unusual way of thinking and because he was in Class D.
If he refused, there was nothing Horikita could do. This wasn't something he could force.
"Sure. Goodbye, President Horikita. Goodbye, beautiful senpai."
After saying that, Kageya Shinjitsu really did leave.
"This underclassman has so many ideas."
"Is he really in Class D?"
"How did someone like him end up in Class D?"
"Could it have been a mistake?"
After confirming that Kageya Shinjitsu had left, the senpai with the pale purple bun walked over to Horikita Manabu, looking curious.
She had no objections to inviting Kageya Shinjitsu to join the Student Council.
Having a strong new student join them would be a good thing.
But she was curious about his background. With his ability to notice things and express himself, he could easily have gotten into Class B, let alone Class A.
"It wasn't a mistake."
"He's a Class D student, but that doesn't mean the students in Class D are incapable."
"It's a gathering place for problem children."
"Some problem children are still quite capable."
Horikita Manabu had already pulled up Kageya Shinjitsu's student information.
[Name: Kageya Shinjitsu] [Class: Year 1, Class D] [Student ID: S01T004648] [Academic Ability: A] [Intelligence: A] [Judgment: A] [Physical Ability: A] [Teamwork: D] [Test Scores: 100, 100...] This profile was based on written exams and physical education tests. His exam scores were nearly perfect, and his physical test results were at the top level for middle school students. His interview results and information about his life before enrolling hadn't been saved. At least, they weren't recorded in Horikita Manabu's files.
"Sure enough, he's excellent in academics and other areas. Even with his low teamwork score, if he doesn't have any serious issues, he should've been in Class A or B."
"Something must have happened during middle school. That's probably why he was recommended to this school."
After looking at the information, Horikita Manabu felt even more certain about the situation with his underclassman.
"Tachibana."
"Get in touch with those second-years."
Horikita Manabu didn't spend any more time on the matter. He still had other things to do.
"I'll do that now."
At Horikita Manabu's words, the secretary, Tachibana Akane, nodded and immediately got to work.
That left Horikita Manabu alone in the Student Council Office.
Suzune...
Thinking about his foolish little sister,
he felt that she was probably going to have a hard time.
Being in the same class as someone like that was dangerous.
Kageya Shinjitsu had no idea that the Student Council President he'd just parted ways with was still thinking about him.
He went to check out the cafeteria and confirmed that it really did offer free meals. He ordered one, too. It was bland and watery, the kind of thing you might consider if you wanted to lose weight. It had practically no flavor at all, as if it had been created to torment students.
After enjoying his meal, Kageya Shinjitsu wandered around campus, bought some exercise equipment, and then returned to his dorm to rest.
Now that he understood how the school worked, he could spend his points happily and sleep without a care.
Meanwhile, during the time he spent shopping and resting,
"What did you say?"
"Which bastard was it?"
"We didn't even say that much."
The three second-year students who'd argued with the red-haired boy in Kageya Shinjitsu's class were unhappy.
They hadn't expected to be called to the Student Council Office over something like this.
Even the Student Council Vice President, Miyabi Nagumo, had shown up.
Miyabi Nagumo was the representative of Class 2-A and, in a way, the ruler of the second-years. He was handsome, with short blond hair and a warm smile that made him seem kind and easy to talk to.
The three second-year students still wanted to explain themselves.
But with the security camera footage in front of them, their words were useless. They could only admit that they had said those things.
Chapter Fifteen: The Gloomy Guy, the Haughty Guy
Since they'd admitted it, things were simple.
With such clear video evidence, they had nothing to explain. It was all right there.
"So you admit you called the students in Class D defective?"
"Looks like I can't help you."
"You've really brought shame on our class."
He'd thought their Student Council President was picking a fight with them. Now it seemed a new first-year had come along who was quite interesting.
In the short time since then, Miyabi Nagumo had already learned what had happened.
"Since that's the case, I'll leave it to you to handle, President."
"I have other things to do."
Miyabi Nagumo didn't waste much time on the matter. He left his classmates with Horikita Manabu.
"You heard him. Since you've admitted to it, you'll apologize properly."
"I'll arrange for you to meet the Class D underclassman and apologize to him. The matter might end there."
"If word gets out, you may have to go to their class and apologize to the whole class. You may also receive a formal reprimand."
Horikita Manabu paid little attention to the resentful looks on the three students' faces.
He spoke directly.
"..."
"We understand."
Their faces were still grim,
but they agreed.
They didn't have any real choice in the matter.
If Miyabi Nagumo wouldn't help them, defying the Student Council President so brazenly would surely end badly for them.
Now they just wanted to find out which bastard was responsible.
They definitely wouldn't let him get away with it.
The sun rose slowly. It was the second day of school.
Kageya Shinjitsu washed up early and put on the shirt and wine-red blazer the school had issued him.
The shirt and blazer were decent enough. The blazer even had gold trim and two gold buttons, and it was designed well. It was comfortable to wear. But he didn't know what kind of unlucky designer had given the school green pants. Dark green slacks, at that. They might as well have given everyone in the school green hats, too.
The girls got white pleated skirts, while the boys got this. That uniform designer deserved to be punished. He was definitely a pervert.
Dressed neatly and holding the grip strengthener he'd bought the day before,
Kageya Shinjitsu left the dorm with a bright, handsome smile and began his proper school life.
"Good morning, Kageya."
As soon as he arrived in class, Kushida Kikyo, who had been chatting with her new friends, turned to look at him and greeted him with a smile.
Perhaps it was just his imagination, but she seemed to be looking at him expectantly.
Unfortunately, Kageya Shinjitsu couldn't return that expectation.
Before you continue