Study Session, Miyabi Nagumo

After school, the library was as busy as ever, though this time it felt a bit more crowded than usual.

Students from Class C and Class B had gathered for a study session, but to put it mildly, the atmosphere was rather stiff.

This was unavoidable; whether it was a hulking figure like Albert, or Ryuen and Ishizaki, who radiated the aura of delinquents, none of them were people others wanted to approach.

The students from Class B looked quite restrained, or perhaps, a little afraid?

As for the students from Class C... most of them had gathered around Kaneda. Whether it was out of a desire not to lose face in front of strangers or simply wanting Kaneda to resolve their confusion, they were very clear about who their own people were.

Sawahara pondered how to break the ice.

"Ishizaki-kun, is there anything you're having trouble with?" A pleasant female voice interrupted Sawahara's thoughts.

"Ah, oh, this problem, I don't really get it." Ishizaki looked at the pretty girl in front of him, momentarily stunned, likely not expecting anyone to talk to him, let alone someone so beautiful.

Ichinose glanced at the problem and then began to explain it to Ishizaki.

After that, Ichinose continued to strike up conversations with the students from Class C, solving their problems while also finding students from her own class who excelled in those subjects to help with the explanations.

Thanks to her efforts, the atmosphere of the study session finally began to thaw.

"Ichinose really is amazing." Sawahara marveled. Excellent charisma, decent intelligence, combined with courage, outstanding initiative, and a kind heart—it was no wonder she could keep Class B so firmly united.

"Kanzaki-kun, is something the matter?" Sawahara looked at the boy sitting next to him who was staring his way. He was someone mentioned in the files Ryuen had provided earlier: Ichinose's right-hand man, Ryuji Kanzaki.

"My apologies." Kanzaki's face held a hint of regret, but after a moment of hesitation, he spoke up. "Although it might be overstepping, I'm going to ask directly: you and Ichinose-san..."

"We're friends." Sawahara replied. "Rest assured, I have no intention of using Ichinose."

"Is that so." Kanzaki nodded, though whether he believed it or not was known only to him.

"If anything, our class and Class B won't have any conflicts in the short term." Sawahara said to Kanzaki. "After all, Class A is currently in a league of its own. Rather than clashing with Class B, we would prefer to pull Class A down first."

Kanzaki was clearly more receptive to this explanation; hearing Sawahara say this, his guard lowered slightly.

"Sawahara-kun, Kanzaki-kun, what are you two talking about?"

Once the atmosphere had eased, Ichinose finally let out a sigh of relief. Turning around, she saw Kanzaki and Sawahara talking and walked over to ask.

"It's nothing. Speaking of which, how did your interview for the Student Council go?" Sawahara asked.

"Ahaha, I don't think I met the President's requirements, so I was rejected." Hearing Sawahara bring it up, Ichinose gave an embarrassed laugh, then looked at Sawahara with a hint of admiration.

"Sawahara-kun is really impressive."

After all, Ichinose had heard back in the Student Council that Sawahara had passed the first round of interviews, unlike her, who hadn't even made it past the first stage.

When Kanzaki heard Ichinose's words, his eyes were filled with surprise as well. Even Ichinose hadn't passed the first round, yet Sawahara had... The guard he had just lowered began to rise again.

"Come to think of it, how did your second interview go, Sawahara-kun? You've passed, right?"

"No, I haven't received notice for the second interview yet." Sawahara shook his head, maintaining the lie.

"Eh, not yet? But knowing you, Sawahara-kun, it'll definitely be fine." Ichinose was surprised, not expecting that four or five days had passed without Sawahara's second interview beginning.

"I hope you're right." Sawahara said with a smile, even though this so-called second interview might never come.

As they were speaking, Ichinose's phone suddenly vibrated.

"Excuse me." After saying this to Sawahara and the others, Ichinose took out her phone to check the incoming message. Upon reading the content, a look of joy appeared on her face.

"You two go ahead and talk, I'll go see if Ryuen has run into any problems." Sawahara said, choosing an opportune moment to step away.

"No, it's fine, it's not something that needs to be kept secret." Ichinose stopped Sawahara. Even if she kept it a secret now, Sawahara would find out soon enough anyway.

"That was a message from Nagumo-senpai in the Student Council. He said he thinks highly of me and wants me to come in for another interview." Ichinose's face was full of excitement and joy.

"I see, congratulations, Ichinose." Sawahara offered his congratulations, even though he didn't think there was anything to be happy about.

To be rejected by the Student Council President, only to be scouted by the Vice President—joining the Student Council at a time like this? At the very least, Sawahara wouldn't do it.

"That's right, congratulations, Ichinose-san." Kanzaki also happily offered his congratulations to Ichinose.

"Sawahara-kun, could you explain this problem to me?" A soft female voice asked. Sawahara turned his head to see that Shiina-san had sat down beside him at some point.

"Let me take a look." Ichinose, still in high spirits, saw someone seeking help and stepped forward, not forgetting to introduce herself. "I'm Ichinose Honami from Class B."

"..." Shiina was silent for a moment before answering in a small voice, "Shiina Hiyori."

"Ichinose-kouhai, hello." Student Council Vice President Miyabi Nagumo looked at the junior in front of him. His breathing faltered for a split second before he quickly regained his composure.

He had seen in the photos that she was a top-tier beauty, and she certainly didn't disappoint.

"Hello, Nagumo-kaicho." Ichinose bowed in greeting; she understood basic etiquette, at least. People in vice positions hated it most when others emphasized the "vice" part of their title.

"Hahaha, just call me senpai. Like you, I was also in Class B of the first year when I enrolled last year. That's part of why I think highly of you." Miyabi Nagumo gave a hearty laugh and said to Ichinose.

"Yes, Nagumo-senpai." Ichinose was surprised, but she felt a surge of confidence regarding her class's promotion, and she quickly changed how she addressed him.

"I've already looked over your file. You answered the questions the President asked during the interview quite well." Nagumo said. He knew that the reason Ichinose hadn't passed wasn't due to a lack of ability, but because Manabu Horikita didn't want him interfering with the first-years.

But the more that was the case, the more he wanted to interfere. He hoped such behavior would provoke the President into a confrontation with him, even if the chances were slim.

Likewise, because of the conflict in philosophy between him and the President, he might encounter some trouble during the upcoming elections. Originally, having one President and one Vice President in the school made the transition of the Student Council a foregone conclusion, as those who became President and Vice President were essentially the most capable people in their respective years. By pooling the votes of two years, the first-years appeared insignificant.

However, because of the President's attitude, the third-year votes were full of variables, making it all the more necessary to intervene in the first-year affairs.

The breakthrough lay right in front of him, in the form of Ichinose.

"The reason you weren't chosen has a lot to do with you being from Class B," Nagumo continued. "You should know that the way this school divides classes is based on ability. I've looked at your file; you were second in the entrance exam, and aside from physical ability, you're superior to most students in Class A in every other aspect. Given that, the fact that you were placed in Class B means there must have been some minor issues in your past, and that is the reason the President didn't choose you."

Nagumo used a mix of truth and lies to deceive Ichinose, and seeing her wavering expression, he was certain he had found his opening.

"I encountered the same situation as you last year. I confessed the problems I had to the President, which is why I am now in the Student Council and serving as the Student Council President.

Ichinose, can you tell me why you were placed in Class B?"