Keep Your Distance

"Sawahara, do you like Kushida?"

During the study session after school, Sawahara had rarely joined in.

On one hand, it was to help relieve some of the pressure on Kaneda and the others; he had noticed recently that Kaneda's dark circles were getting heavier during class.

On the other hand, he was there to observe the class's study progress and the usage of the library, ensuring everything was proceeding according to his plan.

Suddenly hearing Shiina ask this, he was stunned for a moment.

"Not at all, why would you ask that?" Sawahara didn't quite understand. Had his behavior shown any tendency toward liking Kushida?

"Actually, I was at the cafe yesterday too." Shiina sat next to Sawahara and closed her book. "I heard Kushida say that she 'has no intention of dating for the time being'."

Sawahara realized what was going on. So that was it.

"That was just a misunderstanding on Kushida's part."

"Oh, I see." Shiina breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, Sawahara, we are competitors with the other classes after all, so it's probably better to keep a little distance."

"Mm, I'll keep that in mind." Sawahara nodded, then scanned the area around the library.

Because the exams were approaching, there were, unsurprisingly, quite a few more students in the library.

He didn't see Kushida. As a popular figure in the class, if there was an organized study session, someone like her couldn't possibly be absent.

Was it true that once they had the answers, the scattered Class D had already begun to slack off on their review?

Since no one came to ask, Sawahara sat there reading, but after waiting for a long time, no one came to ask questions. Looking over at Kaneda's side, a crowd had already gathered.

"If you have any parts you don't understand, you can come and ask me." Sawahara frowned and spoke up to the class.

However, the students looked at each other, but not a single person dared to come forward. Unknowingly, an invisible barrier had formed between Sawahara and the students of his class.

"Sawahara, this problem..." Seeing this, Shiina, who was sitting nearby, picked up the exercise book on her desk and asked Sawahara.

"There are three ways to solve this problem. One is algebra..." Sawahara took a look; the problem wasn't very difficult, and with Shiina's grades, it was impossible for her not to know it. However, he didn't say much. Instead, he explained this simple problem in a complex way; acting always required a bit of realism.

People are mostly followers; those with the courage to take the first step are always in the minority. Conversely, as long as someone takes that first step, others will follow.

With Shiina as an example, the students in the class finally had the courage to interact with Sawahara.

It was only after some interaction that the students realized Sawahara wasn't as arrogant, serious, or unapproachable as they had imagined. On the contrary, Sawahara was a humorous person—well, even if his jokes weren't funny at all.

"Tell me, why did you suddenly come looking for me?" Manabu Horikita adjusted his glasses, looking at the underclassman who had given him a surprise.

"Doesn't the senior think I changed my mind and came to give you an answer?" Sawahara asked, curious about how the other party had reached that conclusion.

"It's been too long." Manabu Horikita replied calmly. If he had really intended to change his mind, he wouldn't have waited this long.

"I don't intend to wade into these muddy waters right now. After all, the conflicts within the student council are quite sharp." The last time he went to the student council, he had already sensed that there were some issues between the current student council president and the vice president.

"It's just a conflict of philosophy."

"That is exactly what makes it most dangerous, senior." Sawahara shook his head. This kind of conflict was the most troublesome because it was fundamentally unsolvable. "I came to see you this time for another matter. By the way, have you ever met the chairman? What kind of person is he?"

"The chairman?" Manabu Horikita was a bit puzzled, not understanding why Sawahara would suddenly ask this. "I've only met him a few times when reporting on student council work. As for my impression... how should I put it? He is a person worthy of respect."

"I see." Sawahara nodded. "I came to see you this time just hoping that in a while, you could put in a good word for me with the chairman and, incidentally, help me arrange a meeting."

"Put in a good word?" Manabu Horikita didn't quite understand Sawahara's words. "That wouldn't be a problem, but the chairman probably won't agree to meet with you."

"He will agree." Sawahara didn't explain. "You'll know in a while, senior."

With that, Sawahara stood up, ready to leave.

"Let's go. If I stay any longer, Tachibana-senpai will probably get angry."

Opening the door to the conference room, Sawahara was a little surprised. "Ichinose?"

Hearing Sawahara's voice, the two girls who had been talking looked over.

"Sawahara!" Ichinose looked at Sawahara with a pleasant surprise.

"President!" Tachibana walked over to Manabu Horikita to report on her work, not forgetting to glare at Sawahara at the same time.

"This student, Ichinose, wants to apply to join the student council."

As she spoke, Tachibana handed the application form in her hand to Manabu Horikita.

"Ichinose, are you planning to join the student council?"

As for why Ichinose wanted to join the student council, Sawahara probably knew the reason. As the current leader of Class B, wanting to use this method to increase the bargaining chips for her class was not hard to understand.

However, whether the current student council could truly become a bargaining chip was hard to say.

"Yes, I have that thought." Ichinose nodded. "Isn't that what Sawahara is planning to do too?"

In Ichinose's view, Sawahara appearing in the student council room at this time must also be for the purpose of joining the student council, as he was also a class leader.

"No, I..." Sawahara was just about to speak when the president, who was looking at the application form, suddenly spoke up.

"Your performance in the first round of interviews was good. We will notify you once the time for the second round of interviews is confirmed."

Manabu Horikita spoke, effectively pinning down the fact that Sawahara was there for a student council interview.

Sawahara turned his head to look at the president, pondered for a moment, and said, "I will prepare well when I go back, and I ask for your guidance, President."

Sawahara had a rough guess as to why the President acted this way. On one hand, a position in the Student Council had been rejected by a student, and a student from Class C at that. If it had been kept private, it wouldn't have mattered, but if word got out, it would be a different story; the reputations of both Sawahara himself and the Student Council would be affected.

Furthermore, saying such a thing in front of an applicant was practically admitting that there were internal issues within the Student Council. Even though he didn't want first-year students getting involved, that didn't mean the Student Council wasn't planning on recruiting. Besides, after being rejected by Sawahara twice in a row, surely the President was allowed to express a bit of his dissatisfaction?

"Hmm, I will carefully review your application later. Please return and wait for notification." Hearing Sawahara's reply, the President nodded, then spoke to Ichinose.

"Yes, thank you, President." Ichinose thanked the President, then left the Student Council room together with Sawahara.

"Um, Sawahara... classmate, do you have plans later?" After leaving the Student Council room, Ichinose spoke up first, clearly extending an invitation, to which Sawahara responded.

"Sorry, Ichinose-san. I have plans with a classmate." Sawahara didn't actually have any plans with a classmate. Not many people in his class had the courage to do such a thing, and those who had the courage didn't have the inclination, while those who had the inclination lacked the courage.

"Is that so? Then..."

"Time is running out, I'll be heading off now, Ichinose-san." Sawahara interrupted Ichinose, "After all, we are rivals from different classes; it's better to keep our distance."

The advice he had originally received from Shiina was thus passed on to Ichinose.