Kushida Kikyo was, of course, lying.
Now that she had a clear goal, she certainly didn't care about this gaggle of flashy, seductive hussies.
Senpai, senpai, you're so handsome~
I'm coming!
||ヽ(*￣▽￣*)ノミ|Ю
But when her gaze passed over a man and a woman chatting and laughing in the distance, a shadow unconsciously crept across her expression.
I'll have to think of a way to get rid of that eyesore.
Meanwhile,
Ichinose Honami scanned the entire gymnasium. She'd arrived with her friends from Class B, hoping to spot the two of them,
but after looking around several times, she had to face reality:
Dongfang Yi and Sakura Airi really hadn't come.
They'd only shared a brief lunch together, but, to her surprise, she found herself wanting to get to know the two of them better.
So she felt a little disappointed.
"What are you thinking about, Honami?"
Shiranami Chihiro gazed intently at Ichinose's cheek. Using the question as an excuse, she edged a little closer to Ichinose, an unmistakably triumphant, delighted expression unconsciously spreading across her face.
"I'm just looking for two friends I met recently, Chihiro." Ichinose turned her head and gently ruffled Shiranami Chihiro's hair. "But it looks like they really didn't come."
"Do they not want to join a club?" Amikura Mako asked curiously from beside them.
"Maybe they have their own reasons." Ichinose smiled gently, a little helplessly. "Have you found a club you like, Mako?"
"I'm more into sports clubs, but I'll pass on basketball and baseball. Right now, I'm thinking about joining the tennis club. What about you, Honami?"
"I haven't decided yet. I'm planning to listen to the upperclassmen's introductions first."
Ichinose Honami still wasn't sure whether to believe what Dongfang Yi had told her. But if he was right...
then she really didn't need to sign up for a club.
As they were talking, Tachibana Akane, the Student Council secretary, stepped up onto the stage.
"Good afternoon, everyone. Sorry to have kept you waiting. I'm Tachibana Akane, the Student Council secretary in charge of today's club orientation. You can just call me Tachibana."
"I now declare today's club recruitment orientation officially open."
"Next, please welcome Hashigaki-senpai from the Archery Club..."
Below the stage, anticipation flickered in Kushida Kikyo's eyes, and her smile grew brighter and brighter.
But as expected, that little flame gradually dwindled...
It wasn't until the current Student Council President, Horikita Manabu, took the stage
that it finally went out.
Wait, where is he?!
Was I tricked?!
Kushida maintained her polite smile, but she felt a little unsteady on her feet.
"Little Kikyo, are you feeling unwell?"
Haruka noticed something was off and asked softly.
"N-no, I'm fine. Don't worry, Haruka. There are just too many people. It's making me a little dizzy."
Kushida forced down the turmoil in her heart and steadied herself.
I'm fine. I'll find him eventually!
There isn't a secret in the world that can escape my eyes!
The black-hearted angel didn't realize that, without meaning to, she had once again made finding Dongfang Yi her top priority.
She'd temporarily pushed dealing with Horikita Suzune to the back of her mind.
Horikita Manabu stood impassively onstage. He waited until every student in the hall had fallen silent before beginning his speech at an unhurried pace.
Of course, if Dongfang Yi had been there, he would definitely have cursed him as a pretentious lunatic or an arrogant poser with a hole in his head.
But precisely because he knew what was going to happen next, he wasn't there.
He couldn't be bothered to waste his time.
Horikita Manabu's tactic was called moral blackmail. It was much like an elementary school teacher saying, "If even one student in the classroom talks, none of you will be dismissed."
It was nothing more than using his position to pressure people. The elementary school teacher did it to teach the children to follow the rules, while Horikita Manabu...
was wasting everyone's time.
And he never said the quiet part out loud. Instead, he forced all the new students to figure out the difference in status for themselves, which wasted even more time.
In the end, he cost everyone in the gymnasium nearly ten minutes.
By then, unless they'd had the courage to defy the Student Council President from the moment they first saw him, none of the new students would dare keep making noise.
After all, even if a pig were standing up there, controlling the gymnasium doors according to how noisy everyone was, the students fooling around would gradually quiet down too.
Dongfang Yi thought it was ridiculous that the original story called this strength.
What kind of strength was that?
Wasn't it just a matter of how thoroughly the people below had been conditioned, and how thick-skinned the person onstage was?
Take away his Student Council President's title and see how many people still bothered to listen to him.
"I am the current Student Council President, Horikita Manabu."
"Since the upperclassmen have graduated, the Student Council needs to recruit new members from the first-year students."
"There are no restrictions on applying, but please keep one thing in mind: do not join a club while applying to join the Student Council."
W-what?
Ichinose was shaken when she heard that.
She remembered the rumor someone had told her at lunch.
[Apparently, to join this year's Student Council, you have to apply without joining any clubs.]
She instinctively covered her mouth, suppressing her astonishment.
Onstage, Horikita Manabu continued reciting his speech.
"The Student Council at this school carries great responsibility. The school has entrusted it with the authority and duty to amend the regulations. Therefore, we cannot allow anyone to leave a stain on the Student Council's history."
[The current Student Council President, Horikita Manabu, is a perfectionist—or, rather, he thinks that serving in a club at the same time would prevent him from doing his Student Council work properly.]
A-again?!
Ichinose exhaled softly, trying to calm her shock.
But where had Dongfang-kun...
At that moment, an air of mystery unconsciously gathered around Dongfang Yi in her mind.
"Please take note: the Student Council only welcomes those who agree with this principle."
After saying that, Horikita Manabu stepped down and left the gymnasium without looking back.
After wasting nearly ten minutes of everyone's time, he couldn't possibly stay.
Leaving now would let the naive new students catch a glimpse of his aloof retreating figure, leaving these fools with the impression that he was profound and inscrutable.
If he stayed in the hall, people would point fingers at him behind his back and curse him.
"Honami, want to sign up for the tennis club together?"
Amikura Mako and Shiranami Chihiro invited Ichinose to join them.
Still reeling from the shock, Ichinose came back to herself. "Sorry, Mako, Chihiro. For now..."
"I can't join a club yet."
"Are you planning to join the Student Council, Honami?"
"Probably... yes."
Before you continue