A Mundane Campus Life

With the Sports Festival over, the weather in early October had turned somewhat cool. The morning temperatures were already making people eager to switch to their autumn uniforms, but the school had a strict policy on the designated date for the seasonal change, so they couldn't just swap them at will.

"Snap! Snap! Snap!"

As Nagami opened his shoe locker, several envelopes tumbled to the floor. The wax seals were pink hearts; there was no doubt about it—these were the legendary love letters.

Nagami currently had three options: top, middle, and bottom.

The top strategy: Visit each sender one by one based on the addresses to decline, while hoping they would spread the word that he had no interest in dating.

The middle strategy: Put up a sticky note stating that he wasn't accepting love letters. However, this carried the risk of appearing arrogant and drawing hatred, likely inciting the collective wrath of all the single guys.

The bottom strategy: Find a girl to pretend to be his girlfriend. Once a fake relationship turned real, there was a risk of a total disaster! After all, his charm was common knowledge.

"Sigh, I can't shake them off. It's so annoying."

The classroom of Class D was somewhat noisy; some students were chatting, some were horsing around, and others were buried in their books.

Compared to the chaotic mess at the start of the school year, it was much more orderly. Perhaps it was because the former red-haired gorilla had calmed down significantly, effectively resolving the biggest source of instability.

As soon as Nagami walked into the classroom, he was pulled over by Kushida to share some interesting weekend stories. She gestured wildly while talking about a super-sized kite she had seen over the weekend, wondering if the school was hiding a kite club.

At this moment, Ayanokoji was facing the same dilemma. Having stood out during the relay race, his sparse list of Line friends was now covered in red notification dots. Most of them were students he didn't know, and he had no idea what to do.

"Horikita, what do you do when someone you don't know tries to add you as a friend?"

"Just reject them directly. Useless social interaction is a burden to me."

"A predictable response. I should ask a normal person instead. Let me see."

Just as Ayanokoji was about to ask Hirata, Hirata spoke up in a loud voice.

"Everyone, quiet down. It's almost time for class."

Hirata stood up to maintain order, and the students in the class quieted down immediately upon hearing his voice.

The bell rang, and Chabashira walked into the classroom. Looking at the Class D that was so different from the lifeless state it had been in at the start of the term, she saw a brand-new atmosphere.

"Hmph~ Let's begin class."

Chabashira said with a faint smile.

"Hey, Nagami-kun, do you have any club activities after school today?"

"If I recall correctly, you're Mori Nene, right?"

(I barely remember this Class D student. Why are you joining in on the fun too?)

"Let's talk while we walk, Mori Nene."

On the way to the student council room, Nagami patiently explained his thoughts and his plan to remain indifferent to romance, comforting Mori Nene by saying they could start as friends.

When they reached the front of the student council room, they saw Honami waiting at the door from a distance.

"Kagami, you're really popular, aren't you? When you broke the record at the relay race, there were so many people around that I couldn't get through at all. I didn't even get a chance to talk to you."

"I didn't expect the same situation on the road, either."

Honami said with a sour tone.

"Sorry, sorry. Honami, your performance in this Sports Festival was also excellent. I watched the three-legged race, and you achieved a great second-place finish."

"Eh, I suddenly couldn't find you that morning and thought something had happened to you. Seeing you on crutches really gave me a scare."

"Even though I found out later it was an act, my heart really skipped a beat at the time."

"Thank you for your concern, Honami. It's a pity I only took first place in the grade for this Sports Festival."

"That's already very strong. To be honest, I don't really want to quit the student council. Why is Kagami so obsessed with this?"

Honami had originally intended to play dumb if she lost; it was a little trick for flirting that her mother had taught her.

"With a scumbag senior around, of course I'd be obsessed!"

"Could it be that Kagami has those kinds of feelings for me... perhaps?"

Honami put on a strange expression, as if she were testing something.

"A beautiful woman like you would make any guy's heart race. I'm just making the mistake that most guys make."

"Doki, a classic line from a Tokyo host! Zero points, zero points."

"You really are a smooth talker."

Honami lightly punched Nagami on the shoulder. As the two were laughing and joking, a girl ran over in a hurry.

"Nagami-kun, this is for you."

It was another love letter. The girl blushed, dropped the letter, and ran away. Nagami shook his head helplessly.

"It seems your troubles are truly endless."

Honami teased.

"I'm tempted to just broadcast over the school PA system that I don't accept love letters."

Nagami sighed.

"If you did that, you'd probably become the public enemy of the entire school."

Ichinose couldn't help but laugh out loud as she imagined the scene.

"Just kidding, just kidding. If I did that, some boys would definitely ambush me from behind during the special exam."

Nagami looked at Ichinose and reached out to open the door.

"Good afternoon, President."

"Mm. I have something to discuss with you two today."

The President looked at Nagami and Ichinose with a serious expression on his face.

"You worked hard during the Sports Festival. You did very well, and I recognize your abilities. The paperwork for your official membership has already been submitted to the Student Council Board; by next week, you will be honorable members of the Student Council."

Secretary Tachibana said with a smile.

"Thank you, Secretary Tachibana, President. Joining the Student Council has always been my dream."

Ichinose wore a smile, completely unbothered by her previous stint as an unofficial worker.

"Nagami, because of your performance during the Sports Festival, your reputation among the first-years is very high. It reminds me of when I first joined the Student Council. If you keep up this momentum, you will be the student council president two terms from now. Perhaps you can lead this school to new heights."

"President, you flatter me. I'm not as capable as you imagine."

Nagami felt uncomfortable being praised by the President and placed on such a high pedestal.

"In previous years, the presidency was handed over to the successor in December, but seeing such outstanding juniors, I feel at ease. Next week, I will hold a student assembly to officially hand over the position of student council president to Nagumo Miyabi."

"During this Sports Festival, Nagumo Miyabi successfully elevated Class B to Class A, and the entire second-year grade has been firmly united under him."

"Except for the former second-year Class A, Vice President Kiriyama Ikuyo. He is now in second-year Class B. He is an important force I am leaving behind for you to keep Nagumo Miyabi in check."

"If you have any problems in the future, consult Vice President Kiriyama often. I will also be entering a state of semi-retirement."

"President, you're amazing!"

"President, I'll miss you after you leave."

Nagami pretended to be very sad, wiping away non-existent tears from his face.

"Alright, the planning and implementation details for the next special exam have been issued by the Student Council Board. Let's get to work."

"Yes!"

(The unofficial worker has to work again. If I ever become student council president, anyone who wants to join the Student Council will have to pay to work. I'll prevent any more cases of working off the books.)