Joining the Student Council

"You currently have nearly one million points on your phone, am I right?"

Manabu Horikita's words made Hoshino jump, his face filled with disbelief, though he calmed down after a moment of thought.

Since the homeroom teacher had the authority to view student information, it wasn't particularly strange for the Student Council President to possess the same right. The only odd thing was why the Student Council President would pay attention to him? It was just one million points; surely that wasn't necessary?

"Returning to the previous question, what is your take on this school?" Manabu Horikita's aura pressed down on him instantly.

It seemed he didn't intend to let him off easily.

"...The leaders adopt various strategies to lead their classes to promotion, and in the end, only Class A gets to enjoy the benefits of a high employment rate. It looks beautiful at first glance, and of course, only at first glance. But... it's actually quite good right now, really! President Horikita, you are amazing! This level of playing house feels quite interesting."

"...Thank you."

Hoshino noticed a fleeting smile on Manabu Horikita's face.

"...Are you interested in joining the Student Council?" After a moment of silence, Manabu Horikita said something unexpected. It wasn't just Hoshino; the secretary, Tachibana, was also full of surprise, seemingly wanting to say something.

So hasty?

He couldn't quite understand it; Hoshino felt he hadn't done anything of note. He had only done a simple second-hand market trade—this shouldn't be it! Would that really make him a target? Even regarding Sakayanagi and Ryuen, he didn't seem to have done anything prominent, just luckily grabbing some special leverage or information, with no real room for actual maneuvering.

"Um—why me?" Searching his mind for a long time, Hoshino couldn't come up with any useful results.

"Because after conducting various investigations, I believe you have the aptitude for it."

What was this? Hoshino completely failed to understand the thought process of these people. What did he mean by "after investigation, I believe you have the aptitude"? He hadn't done anything; most of it was just taking advantage of the right time and place.

"How about we forget it?..." Hoshino recalled the "mountain" of work he had seen that day and shivered slightly; he didn't want to be submerged in an "ocean" of work every day.

"Join the Student Council, and you'll get a monthly salary of 100,000 private points." Before Hoshino could finish his sentence, Manabu Horikita laid out the conditions.

"Eh? That much?" Hoshino was surprised, his voice trembling slightly.

"Why is President Horikita so practiced at this? It seems he really has done some research on me." Hoshino didn't know what to say; getting 100,000 points every month was definitely a good deal! Plus, joining the Student Council would make doing other things much more convenient.

No matter how Hoshino thought about it, it felt very tempting!

"...There are quite a few talented people this year. I think many of them are more suitable for a position in the Student Council than me, right? Like Sakayanagi, Ichinose, or Ayanokoji?" Although it was tempting, Hoshino didn't agree immediately.

Whether it was Sakayanagi or Ichinose, Hoshino felt they were better candidates, and even Ayanokoji was a fairly good choice.

Hoshino didn't believe for a second that Manabu Horikita hadn't discovered Ayanokoji's abnormality.

"Who is Ayanokoji? Why did the name Ayanokoji come up?" The secretary, Tachibana, looked puzzled.

"..."

"..."

Why was Manabu Horikita silent too? Could it be that he hadn't noticed? No! That wasn't right! Could it be that something had already happened between them?

With a sudden intuition, he looked up at Manabu Horikita, who maintained a silent expression. Hoshino suddenly felt he had discovered something incredible!

Ayanokoji actually had a connection with Manabu Horikita! And it looked like Manabu Horikita didn't want to talk about it! Hoshino's curiosity was instantly piqued; it seemed he would have to ask Ayanokoji later.

After all, Manabu Horikita had intimidated all the first-years as soon as school started, and Hoshino had always assumed he was the type of serious person who wouldn't make mistakes.

"...Ayanokoji is a classmate of ours in Class D, and in many aspects... he's quite excellent." Seeing that Manabu Horikita didn't intend to say anything, Hoshino could only vaguely brush it off.

"...How about it? Are you interested?" Manabu Horikita changed the subject and asked seriously again.

"I am..." Hoshino pondered, feeling hesitant; after all, that was a mountain of work!

"I recall there is still a vacancy for the position of secretary." Seeing Hoshino waver, Manabu Horikita's eyes drifted toward the secretary, Tachibana.

"...Yes... President..." The young girl looked surprised, wanting to say something but holding back.

"Eh?..."

Usually, students joining the Student Council started with miscellaneous tasks to slowly get familiar with the work. Of course, it didn't exclude those with outstanding abilities being promoted directly, but being promoted directly to secretary just two months into the school year was indeed quite rare!

He couldn't understand why Manabu Horikita suddenly wanted him to join the Student Council, even offering such a high-ranking position. Adhering to the principle of "don't turn down easy money," Hoshino agreed. At the very least, Hoshino couldn't imagine what Manabu Horikita could do to him; it was a win-win situation anyway.

"Then you will officially take office next Monday. You can come by to take a look over the next few days," Manabu Horikita arranged.

After a few simple instructions, Hoshino took his leave.

"President, I don't understand..." Watching Hoshino's figure gradually fade into the distance, the secretary, Tachibana, looked completely bewildered.

"Two months into the school year, in a position of absolute disadvantage, he still managed to hold onto over a million points. He won't be a mediocre person," Manabu Horikita explained, his expression softening.

The sky had turned completely dark.

"What is Manabu Horikita thinking? Letting me join the Student Council... and also, is that guy Ayanokoji planning to start moving?" Walking back to the dormitory, Hoshino began to recall Manabu Horikita's unusual behavior.

But come to think of it, Hoshino was indeed quite curious—was Ayanokoji really that strong?

"Grumble, grumble—" His stomach growled. "...I haven't eaten yet, hey!"

Hoshino arrived at the cafeteria holding onto his last shred of hope, but as expected, it had already closed. Fortunately, the convenience store was open twenty-four hours! It seemed he would have to settle for some instant noodles today.

Was it true that fortune and misfortune are intertwined? With this thought, Hoshino stepped into the convenience store near the dormitory building...