A Day Later, I Was Famous

By the time Akimoto Yoichi learned about the Student Council election, it was already the next day.

When he arrived at the gates of Izuki Academy, he could clearly feel that far more eyes were turning toward him.

It wasn't as if no one had paid attention to Akimoto before. Plenty of people had sneaked glances at him, but they had avoided his gaze and never dared say anything.

But things were different now. Students throughout the academy watched Akimoto Yoichi and whispered among themselves.

That was until he saw the notices and photos for the "New Student Council Election" posted on the academy walls.

[Student Council Election Begins]

[Group One President Candidate: Takasu Takao (Third Year)]

[Group One Vice President Candidate: Kido Chiharu (Second Year)]

[Group Two President Candidate: Nishida Yuki (First Year)]

[Group Two Vice President Candidate: Akimoto Yoichi (First Year)]

[Group Three President Candidate: Sakagami Honoka (Second Year)]

[Group Three Vice President Candidate: Aikawa Eri (Second Year)]

[Group Four President Candidate: Morii Jinpachi (Second Year)]

[Group Four Vice President Candidate...]

It was a terrible photo.

Looking at himself on the Student Council election poster, Akimoto Yoichi offered that blunt critique.

After changing into his indoor shoes, Akimoto Yoichi entered the classroom empty-handed.

Sure enough, everyone else in the class could no longer suppress their curiosity as they stared at Akimoto Yoichi. No one dared discuss him out loud, but their gazes made his skin prickle.

"Akimoto-kun! This was definitely part of Nishida's scheme! I knew that woman wouldn't help Akimoto-kun out of the goodness of her heart!"

Suzuran Ayano stormed into the classroom and slapped both hands onto Akimoto Yoichi's desk. The petite twin-tailed girl, Kuroo Maya, followed close behind her.

Fukayama Midori stood at the classroom door and greeted Akimoto Yoichi from a distance. As an otaku, he didn't have the courage to enter someone else's classroom.

Seeing Suzuran Ayano before him, Akimoto Yoichi had no choice but to calm her down instead.

"Don't worry. The whole school was bound to find out eventually. It doesn't matter that everyone knows now. Sooner or later, I was going to get dragged into the Vice President position anyway."

Whether the execution came early or late didn't matter.

Death was death, after all.

Becoming Vice President of the Student Council wasn't quite as serious as being executed, but the situation was pretty close.

Social death was still death.

"There's a huge difference! The whole school will judge you in an election! And if you don't get elected, Nishida Yuki can't become Student Council President, and you can't become Vice President. Wouldn't that mean your previous agreement is void?"

Suzuran Ayano's words made Kuroo Maya cry out in surprise.

"Ah! Right! The condition between Akimoto-kun and Nishida was that you'd become her Vice President, and then your tuition would be waived."

"Exactly! Nishida Yuki must have been deliberately messing with Akimoto-kun. She first agreed to waive his tuition, then suddenly added the condition of a Student Council election."

Ayano spoke excitedly, as though she herself had been the one Nishida Yuki was playing with.

"If she fails to get elected, it means the previous agreement is canceled, and Akimoto-kun will get expelled! That woman really can't be trusted. Maybe I should call my mom and ask her. We might be able to scrape together Akimoto-kun's tuition!"

"I can lend you some money too. It's not much, just a few tens of thousands of yen. I spent a lot on a new rice cooker recently, but I'm willing to lend all of it to Akimoto-kun." Kuroo Maya raised her little hand in support as well.

Unfortunately, their support clearly would not be much help.

More than a million yen was no small amount even for adults. It was equivalent to several months' wages for an ordinary office worker.

Besides, why would anyone pay tuition for the child of someone they didn't know? Donations were out of the question too.

The moment they saw Akimoto Yoichi in person, they would probably assume Ayano and Maya were being bullied.

"You two don't need to worry. Worrying won't help. Why not think about what happens if we win? If that happens, won't my tuition be waived?"

Akimoto Yoichi joked.

"But how could anyone possibly choose you as Vice President looking like that, Akimoto-kun? No way, no way." Kuroo Maya spoke with her cheeks puffed out as she ate snacks.

With Akimoto Yoichi's grades and image, no matter how one looked at it, he was hardly qualified.

"Maya-chan!" Ayano pinched Maya's cheek.

Only then did Maya realize there was something wrong with what she had said. She awkwardly shut her mouth, then handed her snacks to Akimoto Yoichi in an attempt to appease him.

Akimoto could not help laughing at the twin-tailed hamster, but he still accepted Maya's snack to show that he forgave her.

Meanwhile, Ayano's brain kicked into overdrive.

"On the surface, it looks like Nishida Yuki brought Akimoto-kun into the election. But everyone still doesn't know Akimoto-kun. They're only frightened by his appearance, so they probably won't vote for him."

"So in reality, it isn't Nishida Yuki taking Akimoto-kun into the election. Akimoto-kun, you're participating in the Student Council election alone. Because everyone's opinion of you will drag Nishida Yuki down, winning the election will require Akimoto-kun to work hard all by yourself."

"And everyone must think that Akimoto-kun wanted to participate in the Student Council election and dragged Nishida Yuki along, right? Everyone has misunderstood Akimoto-kun."

Explanations were useless. Even if Nishida Yuki explained that she wanted to become Student Council President and that she had recruited Akimoto Yoichi, no one would believe her.

It would only make things worse, convincing everyone that she had been threatened by Akimoto and did not dare tell the truth.

All Ayano could do was worry helplessly, biting her finger as she tried to think of a solution.

"Yeah, it really is a headache." Akimoto Yoichi ate Maya's snacks, but inwardly, he breathed a sigh of relief.

When Nishida Yuki had first proposed such a generous offer, he had understood that he would have to pay a heavy price.

However, he had not expected that price to be getting placed before the entire student body and roasted over the flames.

If he had asked Ayano, Maya, or the others to participate in the Student Council election, it might not have caused such a massive uproar.

But the person paired with Akimoto was Nishida Yuki, the freshman representative everyone had seen at the entrance ceremony.

Why was Nishida Yuki, the representative of the most outstanding freshmen, partnering with a delinquent blondie like Akimoto Yoichi to run for the Student Council?

The contrast between the two of them was so stark that it was impossible not to provoke discussion.

Nishida Yuki had practically become the "victim," while Akimoto Yoichi was the "coercer."

No student in their right mind would ever choose a delinquent blondie as their Student Council President.

Right now, he had absolutely no chance of helping Nishida Yuki win the Student Council election, and that was precisely Nishida Yuki's "revenge" against him.

For Nishida Yuki, who could clearly have used her "money power" to skip the election entirely and become Student Council President directly.

What she wanted was to shatter the peaceful, tranquil school life Akimoto had hoped for.

She wanted this delinquent blondie to run in an election he could never win before the whole school, like a clown.

Nishida Yuki was probably standing somewhere high above, enjoying the sight of him suffering.

Eating the snacks Maya had handed him, Akimoto raised his head and looked toward the figure standing by a window in the building across from his.