My Specialty

Temporary activity room.

"Oh, so Akimoto-kun no longer had any objections to taking part in the Student Council election?"

Nishida Yuki sat in the classroom, smiling brightly as she looked at Akimoto Yoichi. Her gaze swept over Suzuran Ayano, Kuroo Maya, Fukayama Midori, and the others behind him.

"No objections. I should keep my promise." Akimoto Yoichi shook his head.

"Hmph, if he refused, you wouldn't waive Akimoto-kun's tuition, would you? You'd make him drop out, right?"

Ayano snapped indignantly.

That was why they had come here to discuss with Nishida Yuki how to win votes next.

Whether Nishida Yuki had been an ally before or not, they had no choice but to set aside their personal grudges when facing the other candidates.

"My, my, do you have to put it so harshly?" Nishida Yuki covered her mouth and chuckled. "Strictly speaking, Akimoto-kun's tuition wasn't waived. I paid it for him."

"Wasn't our agreement that Akimoto-kun would become my Vice President? There's nothing wrong with us running for the Student Council now."

"Actually, I'm quite troubled too. The current Student Council members came to protest to me."

"When facing the upperclassmen, they even said that even if I became Student Council President, they wouldn't acknowledge me. They'd overthrow and oppose me. That was why I had no choice but to accept this suggestion. If you don't believe me, ask Teacher Shimono."

Following Nishida Yuki's gaze, everyone finally noticed the white-coated figure taking a nap nearby.

Since this teacher had been smoking silently from beginning to end, nobody had paid her any attention.

Now that she had been dragged into it, she waved a hand.

"Hm? Ah, yes, yes, that's right. I even gave you my smoking spot to use as an activity room. As agreed, once you successfully become Student Council President, you can't take away my smoking spot."

Shimono Otome waved her hand, then crossed her legs and leaned back in her chair again.

Were all the teachers at this school this lazy?

Looking at this adult who completely disregarded her image as a teacher, Ayano and Maya could not help sighing.

Fukayama Midori, on the other hand, was not surprised at all. After all, Shimono Otome was the homeroom teacher of Class B, where he and Nishida Yuki studied.

"See? Right? I wasn't lying, was I? I encountered resistance too." With Teacher Shimono as a witness, Nishida Yuki's words were undeniably convincing.

"From my perspective, I don't want to work so hard as Student Council President either."

"But my original reason for coming to this high school was to experience group life, find some fun, and ease the tension from my work. Becoming the new Student Council President directly would certainly save time, but it would also be a little less fun."

"It wouldn't matter if I failed to become Student Council President, but then the agreement between Akimoto-kun and me would have to be voided. I find that regrettable too."

Though she had seemingly already explained herself, and everyone understood that she had not caused this situation.

After Nishida Yuki's remarks, she had drawn the battle back onto herself again.

"You! You bastard!" Ayano slammed the table angrily.

Nishida Yuki's behavior was basically this: she would not admit to bad things she had not done, but she was willing to voluntarily reveal the bad things she had done.

Other than provoking and teasing them, she had no other intention.

"Ayano, there's a teacher here." Maya reminded her as she watched Ayano get so worked up.

Akimoto Yoichi also soothed her. "We haven't lost yet. Until the final result is decided, we can't give up."

Just as Suzuran Ayano had calmed down a little, Nishida Yuki stoked the flames again.

"That's right. Akimoto-kun is the only one facing expulsion, so why are you getting so worked up, Suzuran? Aren't you dating Midori-kun? Or did I misunderstand?"

Suzuran Ayano's expression changed drastically, while Fukayama Midori looked equally shocked.

"Who—who said I liked this guy? We're just childhood friends! Neighbors who grew up together! It's a cursed bond! Who would like this guy?!"

"Yeah, Suzuran and I are just neighbors. We aren't dating. Who would want to date someone as fierce as her?"

"What!? Who are you calling fierce?"

"See? Was I wrong?"

"You! Fukayama Midori! Even if every man in the world died, and you were the last one left, I still wouldn't date you!"

"Same here!"

"..."

One was a tsundere, the other was dense.

Suzuran Ayano and Fukayama Midori, these childhood friends, could be said to have absolutely no chemistry.

One sentence was all it took for them to start arguing.

"Stop arguing, stop arguing. Ayano-chan, Fukayama-kun, can't you stop fighting and get along? You obviously both have feelings for each other deep down."

Kuroo Maya tried to mediate between them, but she was not good with words.

Not only did she fail to stop them, she made their argument even fiercer.

"Who has feelings for this guy? His bed is full of big-breasted magazines!"

"They aren't mine! They belong to my friend! Don't make things up!"

"..."

Nishida Yuki watched the scene with delight, the corners of her lips curling up.

Akimoto Yoichi's attention, however, had not been diverted at all. He looked at Nishida Yuki and said,

"I just want to ask: will you cooperate with me, or obstruct me?"

The moment he said that, Suzuran Ayano abandoned her argument with Fukayama Midori and turned to look at Nishida Yuki as well.

This question was extremely important. It would directly determine the difficulties Akimoto Yoichi would face in the upcoming Student Council election.

Faced with their gazes, Nishida Yuki smiled gently.

"Of course I'll cooperate. For me, winning this game would naturally be something to be happy about. Even if the game has a certain degree of difficulty, I always like to give it my all."

Hearing that answer, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, if Nishida Yuki was willing to cooperate, it would naturally make things much easier.

If Nishida Yuki, Akimoto Yoichi's partner, was secretly sabotaging him, the situation would only become more difficult.

Perhaps it would be more practical for Akimoto to work at a construction site and hurry to earn tuition money than to continue participating in the Student Council election.

"That's good. So what's your plan? The Student Council election vote will be held in a week, right?"

Akimoto Yoichi looked at this unreliable partner and asked.

"Mmm~ I'll perform piano on the day of the Student Council election. That might make everyone recognize me a little more."

Nishida Yuki answered. Her confident expression and the Young Lady aura she exuded made people unconsciously trust her a little more.

"That's a talent showcase. If we can show off some talent then, we really could gain the support of quite a few students. At the very least, it would let the students get to know the candidates better!"

Ayano held her chin, drawing inspiration from Nishida Yuki's words.

"Right! Akimoto-kun, you can take part in that segment too! As long as you show off some talent!"

"Then there'll definitely be more people supporting you, Akimoto-kun!"

"So what talents do you have, Akimoto-kun? An instrument, magic, even karate would work!"

Though Ayano looked expectant, as if she had found a shortcut, Akimoto Yoichi scratched his head.

"Uh, I can't do anything."

If Blondie had any specialty, it was probably just being especially long.