No One Should Have Any Regrets (5k)

After school again, under the arrangement of Kitagawa Ryo and Asahina Nazuna, Horikita Suzune also went to the second-year floor and temporarily borrowed the classroom of Class 2-A to start her campaign speech.

Asahina Nazuna had actually prepared several people to blend into the crowd and create a lively atmosphere, with their main lines being things like "I choose Horikita Suzune" and "She is the one everyone wants." But in the end, she didn't use them at all.

"Wow, that's amazing. I have to say, she wasn't like this a month ago during the Mixed Training Camp Special Exam, was she?"

After peering through the window from outside the door, Asahina Nazuna looked away in surprise and remarked to Kitagawa Ryo, who was also waiting outside.

"They're starting to look a bit like Horikita-senpai, who's in her third year. You could say they're definitely siblings."

"These are all changes made by Suzune herself, but outstanding individuals do indeed share certain common characteristics."

Unlike Asahina Nazuna, who was constantly drawn back to the classroom by the applause, Kitagawa Ryo didn't seem too surprised. He leaned lazily against the railing by the corridor, leisurely enjoying the evening breeze.

"Indeed, I hope that Suzune can become Student Council as excellent as, or even better than, Horikita-senpai."

Because she and Horikita Suzune were in the same group during the previous Mixed Training Camp Special Exam, and had interacted in daily classes, their relationship was fairly familiar. Therefore, Asahina Nazuna addressed her directly by her first name.

As she spoke, she leaned against the railing with Kitagawa Ryo, but unlike the other woman who was leaning forward, she was lying back with her hands behind her back on the railing. Her winter clothes, which had become much thinner as the weather warmed up, beautifully outlined a semi-circular curve on her chest.

"Speaking of which, has Nagumo been up to anything lately? I didn't see him when I came over today."

"It's the same old story. He clocks in for class and leaves immediately after class, never staying in the classroom for even a second longer. However, he goes to all sorts of places, and sometimes it's impossible to tell which one he's really going to."

As if she simply felt bored and disgusted with the name, Asahina Nazuna also seemed listless when she said these words.

Class 2-A, and even the entire second year, had indeed launched an isolation campaign against Miyabi Nagumo. However, the problem with Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School's system lies in this: if the student is cautious enough and has no intention of dropping out, there's really not much you can do about it until a suitable Special Exam is offered.

"I've already sent Liang the details of the locations, times of stay, and people he'll be meeting, and the conversations I've managed to find out are the same."

"Yes, thank you for your hard work, senior. The information you gave me about Kiriyama last time was very useful; it really helped a lot."

"Kiriyama... I saw the school's announcement yesterday, it seems he's been expelled from the Student Council and also received a major demerit, right?"

"Yes, we've achieved our goal. This guarantees Suzune's votes in the Student Council."

"It's clear that Ryo really wants Suzune to become the Student Council."

"After all, it's something I promised. If I can do it, I should do it as well as possible, and do it well and perfectly."

"You made such a promise that I almost wanted to give up."

"That depends on the kind of promise. I can't do anything too grand or vague. These things have to be done within one's capabilities. Making empty vows will only bring disaster."

After chatting idly with Asahina Nazuna for a while, Horikita Suzune finally finished her speech in the classroom, walked out with a bright smile, greeted Asahina Nazuna and thanked her, and then called Kitagawa Ryo to head to the next place.

"Okay, let's talk next time, senior."

"Okay, I'll treat you to something to drink next time."

"Okay."

Smiling and waving goodbye to Asahina Nazuna, Kitagawa Ryo quickened his pace to catch up with Horikita Suzune, who seemed still immersed in the afterglow of her speech, and gently nudged her shoulder.

How are you feeling?

"It felt different from the Final Exam for the speech subject that I took in the Mixed Training Camp Special Exam before. It was new and interesting."

Although it was her first time giving a speech in front of dozens of strangers, Horikita Suzune showed no signs of stage fright; in fact, her tone suggested she wanted to continue speaking.

"The response from below has been very good."

"After all, Suzune is the first candidate in this batch, or even in these years, to give a campaign speech, and she is very well prepared. All aspects of the content are things that second-year students care about or are interested in. Suzune herself is also charismatic and expressive enough, so it's only natural that the effect is good."

Kitagawa Ryo has never been stingy with his praise. Not only did he praise her verbally, but he also placed his hands on her shoulders as a gesture of comfort, gently kneading and massaging her.

The reason why Student Council elections in previous years generally did not involve such speeches is quite simple. First, students themselves do not pay much attention to Student Council changes, and candidates do not need to go out of their way to win over unpopular candidates. Second, the opinions of the former Student Council usually carry considerable weight in the election. As long as you have this opinion, you can basically say that you have won, and there is no need to campaign for votes.

This year, ironically, is another year of intense public scrutiny and a particularly unusual situation where the former Student Council was humiliated and kicked out of the Student Council.

"Even disregarding the content of the speech, just in terms of performance, I believe Suzune is the best of the three."

This isn't just Kitagawa Ryo trying to flatter her; after all, while everyone is a newcomer in this field, Sakayanagi Arisu and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka still have more significant shortcomings compared to Horikita Suzune.

Actually, none of the three of them are the type to get stage fright, but Arisu's main problem is that she doesn't have much popularity among the upperclassmen. She can't even get a basic audience, and she's somewhat lacking in persuasiveness. As for Ayanokoji, there's not much to say. He only got a perfect score of 100 on his Final Exam speech last month because of Tsukishiro's connections. His actual level isn't that he's completely devoid of passion, but his intonation and emotional delivery are not as good as those of an audiobook.

"I will try my best to play to my strengths and avoid my weaknesses."

Horikita Suzune didn't get carried away by Kitagawa Ryo's words. Instead, she took a few deep breaths and gave herself another thumbs-up.

His and Horikita Suzune's next destination was the floor where the third-year students were located. In fact, as soon as they reached the corner of the stairs, they saw Horikita Manabu and Tachibana Akane at the entrance of the building.

Perhaps because they were busy with graduation matters, the two looked visibly tired after not seeing each other for a while. However, upon seeing each other, they tried their best to cheer up and greeted each other.

"All the students in our class have arrived. As for how many students from other classes you can attract, that depends on your own abilities."

On the way to their destination, Horikita Manabu briefly introduced the current situation of the third-year students to the two of them.

"Classes Class C and Class D are basically enjoying their last moments of youth. I heard some students are even planning to quit in March, use up all their remaining Class Points, and then graduate from high school with a clean slate."

"After all, the school will only convert Private Points into yen according to a certain ratio, and after receiving the last month's Class Points salary, it is indeed possible to do so. However, isn't this just abandoning the school to the extreme?"

While Horikita Suzune could understand it, she couldn't help but click her tongue in surprise at the chaotic state of the third-year students.

"This can probably be considered a kind of uncertainty about the future."

"Even in ordinary high schools, many students feel lost about their future after graduation. Should they pursue further education or enter the workforce? Should their high school romances end naturally after graduation, or continue? In a school like ANHS, where graduation from the Class A is the only true graduation, this confusion is naturally amplified."

Kitagawa Ryo also shared his thoughts on this, glancing at Tachibana Akane and Horikita Manabu, as he was equally curious about their future plans after graduation.

"Well, while it might seem like I'm being hypocritical for saying this as a student from Class A, Kitagawa is right. Even many people in our class have been thinking about and hesitating about these things for a long time."

Horikita Manabu also nodded in agreement with Kitagawa Ryo's view:

"In the past, we wouldn't let graduating third-year students participate in the Student Council election again, but this year was an exception."

"So, if you ask me, most third-year students probably want a final curtain call that allows them to say goodbye to high school and even their student years as gracefully as possible without any regrets."

"I see."

After Horikita Manabu reminded her of this, Horikita Suzune nodded.

"However, Liang and I have already thought of a plan in advance, and it should be fairly in line with these requirements."

"If possible, I would organize a Graduation Ceremony and performance for everyone, separate from the school's, regardless of whether I become the Student Council or not."

"A separate graduation performance... that's a good idea, but it needs a little extra appeal, or rather, a gimmick."

"This was prepared a long time ago as well."

Kitagawa Ryo naturally picked up the conversation:

"Some people will tell them through their own experiences that graduation is not the end, but sometimes it's about meeting a better version of yourself."

"This is bad, this is bad! If this continues, we won't even be able to hold onto our base of support from the third-year students."

Since confirming a certain piece of news this afternoon, Katsuragi Kohei has unusually lost his usual calm and composure, pacing anxiously around like an ant on a hot pan. The other Class C students next to him also have solemn expressions, constantly refreshing the latest news on the forum on their phones.

Unlike the previous class Leader, Katsuragi Kohei, the current Leader, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, is undoubtedly much better at coordinating and managing the class. Firstly, he did lead the class to achieve good results in the Special Exam, and secondly, he genuinely managed to wipe out the class's debts through negotiations with Miyabi Nagumo.

Because of the latter alone, the students in Class C couldn't bring themselves to say a single word against Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, not even Morishita Ai and Kamuro Masumi.

Although Ayanokoji Kiyotaka maintained his usual calm and collected demeanor, he was well aware that his current situation was indeed precarious.

To be honest, he had never known anything about idol Shizuku. His impression of Sakura Airi was limited to the fact that she had threatened and extorted a considerable amount of Private Points from the school when it started, making her someone to be wary of. But the internet is such a convenient thing. With just a little use of the search function, he understood the popularity she once had and the influence she could have at any time on the ANHS campus.

Not only on the ANHS campus forum, but also on Twitter outside the school, this unconfirmed rumor became a trending topic. The nearly one-year graduation gap did cause Sakura Airi to lose a lot of fans, but due to the large base of fans, the number of those who remained was also quite astonishing.

It's no exaggeration to say that even though everyone in Class C looks miserable right now, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka is willing to believe that there are definitely people who secretly vote for Horikita Suzune because they want to see their idol Shizuku make a comeback.

Even if they aren't fans of the other party, even if it's just to have something to brag about on the internet later, some people would still make this choice. After all, ANHS students have already become the envy of other netizens because of this still unconfirmed news.

First Year, second-year, and third-year students—or rather, the entire ANHS, from students to faculty and staff, was completely stunned by the bombshell dropped by Horikita Suzune today. After all, no one expected that Sakura Airi, who had been keeping a low profile for nearly a year, would actually choose to step into the limelight again for such a matter at this time.

... This must also be Kitagawa Ryo's doing.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka habitually made this deduction in his mind.

In a sense, the other party's female fan club is a kind of Gate of Babylon; you never know what surprises they'll pull out next.

Oh, by the way, the above information is the result of Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's hard work after his historic defeat in last year's Uninhabited Island Special Exam, which was a test of common knowledge about anime.

"Sakayanagi should have seen this message too."

After a moment of silence, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka finally made a decision:

"Let's go talk to her."

Room 408, Kitagawa Ryo's dormitory, welcomed today's guest Sakura Airi, who is currently the subject of widespread discussion not only on the school's forums.

"I have to say, seeing Airi make a comeback under the name Shizuku makes me a little nostalgic. Hotaru and Maki used to be huge fans of yours. Oh, right, let me check, there it is."

As he spoke, Kitagawa Ryo also opened his phone and successfully found Hotaru's recent post on her personal social media account, which she had only opened to him. Without much thought, he read it aloud:

"I never thought you could actually get Shizuku to make a comeback. Next time you leave school, please remember to bring me high-resolution live footage, and also take my Valentine's Day chocolates back with you. Thank you—oh, and snow... cough, I won't go into the rest."

Kitagawa Ryo put his phone back in his pocket and, as if changing the subject, turned his gaze to Sakura Airi seemed to be looking through her past performance and rehearsal videos:

"After all, it's been a long time. Can you still find the feeling?"

"Well, it's only been a year. A little rehabilitation will do the trick, and many of the movements can be considered muscle memory."

Sakura Airi was quite confident about this, but she immediately sighed and slumped back into the soft sofa.

"However, I didn't expect it to cause such a stir outside of school. Now everyone's saying I'll make a comeback after graduating high school. I have no intention of becoming an idol again. I was just helping Ryo out this time."

"But this help was truly invaluable; it practically secured Suzune's victory. No wonder she's a super popular idol."

"You can add a 'former' prefix, or just remove the 'idol' suffix. Anyway, I will definitely not make a comeback."

Seemingly particularly fixated on this point, Sakura Airi emphasized it once more, and then raised a new difficulty on her side:

"However, if we really do want to perform on stage, we'll definitely need to solve problems like the venue, equipment, and costumes first, especially the costumes. I feel like we'll have to buy a set or alter a suitable one."

"I'll take care of the venue and equipment for Airi. We have experience from preparing for Valentine's Day celebrations before. As for the costumes, let's see if we can find a shop near the Keyaki Mall to make them. They should be happy to take on these kinds of orders, and it can also be a good way to promote the business."

"As for the rehearsal space, let's set it at the Drama Club's activity room. It's a larger space with better soundproofing, and no one's using it right now, so I can just give the key to Airi."

At this point, Kitagawa Ryo let out another deep sigh:

"Of course, according to our agreement, I will be the closest person to Airi during both rehearsals and the actual performance."

"After all, he only made a temporary comeback to cool off, and ultimately it was all for the sake of one person's idol."

Sakura Airi a bright, toothy smile, then held up one finger:

"Also, Ryo, remember to wear your support outfit."

"Airi, are you referring to that autographed limited-edition fan support shirt that's been resold for 200,000 yen after you graduated?"

"Oh, that's actually quite simple to do yourself."

Sakura Airi looked around and quickly found what she wanted on the nearby desk, holding a ballpoint pen in her hand.

Then, she naturally walked up to Kitagawa Ryo, lifted up his sweater, placed her left hand on his chest, and used her right hand to write on the innermost part of his shirt, where his chest was covered with an oil-based pen.

This familiar yet long-lost gesture left Kitagawa Ryo momentarily stunned. The rough pen tip tickled his skin through his clothes, and the fragrance that brushed past his nose and the warmth from the other's hand were just as they had been years ago. However, both the more imposing leaning forward after two or three years and the final words written were different from before.

It is no longer the curtain that Sakayanagi Arisu once teased as completely unrecognizable, which was imagined as a monster in childhood fears, but a clearer and more distinct chibi version.

That was Sakura Airi, with Cupid- like angel wings, shooting heart-shaped Cupid Sakura Airi his heart. Her facial features were drawn in a rather simple style, but she could still be recognized at a glance by her hairstyle.

Among the girls Kitagawa Ryo knew, there were some who liked to wear pigtails, such as Amasawa Ichika, but only Sakura Airi would wear the style where she tied a small high ponytail above each ear on both sides, with the rest of her pink hair hanging down her shoulders, giving people a playful and lively impression at first glance.

Please continue to support me wholeheartedly from now on.

After habitually writing down this sentence, Sakura Airi muttered to herself again:

"No, idols should be able to date after graduation."

Chapter 503: No One Should Regret It (5k)

Since both sides needed to meet, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and Sakayanagi Arisu quickly confirmed the time and place. The former brought Katsuragi Kohei along, while the latter, without fail, had Matsushita Chiaki come along.

"I didn't expect you to have failed to win over Sakura beforehand."

At the start of the conversation, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka subtly shifted the blame onto the student council candidate, which at first glance seemed to make sense. After all, if it weren't for Sakura Airi's sudden involvement, the Student Council election situation wouldn't have changed so drastically in just one day, practically securing the final victory for Horikita Suzune.

"The only people who could truly get Airi willingly step into the spotlight are Ryo and herself. Ayanokoji, who always plays the role of a stalker, should know this better than I do."

Sakayanagi Arisu also retaliated. After all, she was not Karuizawa Kei, and her relationship with Sakura Airi was not that good. Therefore, even though she knew from the beginning that the other party was the biggest uncertainty factor in this election, she could not appease Sakura Airi in advance like Karuizawa Kei did before the Sports Festival.

"Ayanokoji, there's no need to put all the blame for Suzune's victory on me, because from the very beginning, you weren't really determined to win this Student Council election, were you?"

To prevent Ayanokoji Kiyotaka from continuing to use this as an excuse, Sakayanagi Arisu directly pointed out his intentions: