The Seventh Chapter: Student Council Recruitment

It should have been a day when everything went smoothly...

Afternoon.

Secretary Tachibana placed the résumés of the first-year students applying to join the Student Council in front of President Horikita.

Noticing that he had been drinking water less often, Secretary Tachibana had thoughtfully peeled an orange for him as well.

"Why isn't a single one of these students from Class 1-C?"

Secretary Tachibana didn't know how to answer President Horikita's question, so she could only remain silent.

Really... why would a mere Class C student apply to join the Student Council?

Recruitment for the Student Council was open to everyone. It took place at the same time as student clubs opened their doors to new members.

The school's motto was "freedom."

Few students took the time to seriously read the school's motto or mission statement.

But when the school offered free tuition and guaranteed prospects for the future, everyone had to acknowledge the school's much-publicized slogan of "freedom."

In previous years, first-year students were always caught up in the verbal traps the school laid for them.

The school only stated that its graduates had an employment rate of nearly one hundred percent, without ever mentioning its dropout rate.

Students might receive 100,000 points in their first month, only to get zero the next.

This sort of wordplay was commonplace during the three years students spent at this school.

The school was always saying that students should get along and that everyone was equal.

Yet the four classes—A, B, C, and D—were strictly divided.

In the distant past, the Student Council had even deliberately restricted applications to Class A students.

But this year was different.

This year's Student Council president was Horikita Manabu, a man Secretary Tachibana believed could make the right decision in any situation.

It seemed President Horikita took this year's first-years very seriously.

Unlike past Student Council presidents, who focused their attention on first-years from Class A, Horikita Manabu carefully reviewed the résumé of every first-year applicant.

In the end, among the many applicants, Horikita Manabu selected three résumés.

Horikita Suzune from Class 1-D, Ichinose Honami from Class 1-B, and Katsuragi Kohei from Class 1-A.

Horikita Manabu had selected their résumés from among dozens.

As his trusted assistant, Secretary Tachibana would review the president's final choices once more.

Who was this Horikita Suzune?

Secretary Tachibana was stunned the moment she saw the first student's résumé.

Only two girls from Class 1-D had applied: Kushida Kikyo and this Horikita Suzune.

President Horikita had chosen a girl who shared his surname.

Even in the photograph, she seemed to bear a faint resemblance to the president.

Secretary Tachibana swallowed, but in the end, she kept her questions to herself.

After two years by the president's side, she understood his personality better than anyone.

Secretary Tachibana wouldn't ask questions. She would simply support the president in everything he did.

Secretary Tachibana then opened the résumés of the other two students: Ichinose Honami from Class 1-B and Katsuragi Kohei from Class 1-A.

She quickly confirmed the contact information for all three students and deliberately scheduled Ichinose and Katsuragi's visits at different times from Horikita Suzune's.

The first student to come to the Student Council was from Class A. His full name was Katsuragi Kohei.

At first glance, Secretary Tachibana thought Katsuragi had a good chance of being selected.

She led him to the meeting room the Student Council had specifically requested for its use.

Based on past experience, students from Class A were the most likely to join the Student Council.

For that reason, Secretary Tachibana had scheduled Katsuragi's interview first.

There weren't many vacancies on the Student Council.

But the third-years would graduate sooner or later.

So recruiting first-years was necessary.

However, President Horikita was the one who made all the decisions.

This year, it wouldn't be impossible for all three first-years to join the Student Council.

Everything depended on President Horikita's choice.

"My name is Katsuragi Kohei..."

Katsuragi sat down and began to introduce himself, but Horikita Manabu quickly interrupted him.

"I've read your résumé. It's excellent."

Katsuragi brightened at that.

Being called excellent by the president of this school, where strength reigned supreme, meant a great deal.

"But."

Horikita Manabu looked at Katsuragi's pleased expression and changed course.

"I have a question for you."

"What do you think of Kujo Makoto from Class 1-C?"

Katsuragi froze.

He had never heard the name "Kujo Makoto" before.

Katsuragi couldn't answer Horikita Manabu's question.

But this was an interview. He wouldn't stay silent or say he didn't know. Instead, he analyzed the situation.

"From what I've investigated, the most dangerous person in Class 1-C this year is Ryuen Kakeru. I've heard from students in Class A that he was a notorious delinquent even before he entered this school. Since arriving, he's used violence to restrict his classmates' lives. As for Kujo Makoto, my personal assessment is that he's one of Ryuen's subordinates..."

Katsuragi's answer followed an almost textbook line of reasoning.

As an honor student, he could analyze a situation based on scattered bits of information, even though he had never met Kujo.

After all, Ryuen Kakeru was the most dangerous person in Class C.

So anyone from Class C must have some connection to Ryuen.

Katsuragi's answer wasn't exactly wrong. In a sense, Ryuen and Kujo had no conflict of interest at present.

Although the two didn't get along, they could hardly be called enemies.

Calling Kujo a subordinate wasn't unreasonable.

But that wasn't the answer Horikita Manabu wanted to hear.

Secretary Tachibana had been listening the whole time, carefully watching the president's expression.

She didn't recognize the name "Kujo Makoto" either.

Still, it was clear that the president cared about this year's Class 1-C students.

Secretary Tachibana understood the president's personality. After the interview ended and Katsuragi left the room, she smiled and told him:

"You can head back and wait for further news, junior."

"If there's any news, we'll let you know right away."

That was basically the same as announcing that Katsuragi had failed the interview.

The second student to meet with Secretary Tachibana was Ichinose Honami from Class B.

Based on past experience, it was difficult for students from Class 1-B to join the Student Council.

But it wasn't impossible.

Although this school valued merit above all else, Student Council work was demanding, and they were short on manpower.

If the Student Council was made up entirely of Class A students, it would cause all sorts of problems, both organizationally and in terms of public opinion. So sometimes the president would invite one or two students from Class B to lend a hand.

Secretary Tachibana wouldn't look down on Ichinose just because she was from Class B.

On the contrary, Ichinose was a cheerful girl whom everyone loved. It was hard not to like her.

The two girls were both quite talkative, so Secretary Tachibana let Ichinose in on a secret.

President Horikita cared a great deal about this year's first-years.

Especially those in the lower-ranked classes.

Secretary Tachibana never would have guessed that this little hint would directly change the outcome of Ichinose's interview.

The meeting room.

The same seats.

"What do you think of Kujo Makoto from Class 1-C?"

It was the same question, and Secretary Tachibana was watching from the same spot.

When President Horikita brought up that name for the second time, Secretary Tachibana blinked and looked at Ichinose with concern.

What a shame for this junior.

Secretary Tachibana felt sorry for Ichinose.

She didn't think a first-year from Class C was worth a student from Class B paying attention to.

But Ichinose's next words left both Horikita Manabu and Secretary Tachibana stunned.

"I came to the Student Council because of Kujo Makoto."

Ichinose's meaning was simple.

Ishizaki from Class C had come to Class B on "Kujo's" behalf and told them that the Student Council was excluding first-years.

That was why Ichinose had come to the Student Council: because of "Kujo's" words.

But seeing their reactions, and remembering what Secretary Tachibana had just said about Horikita Manabu caring about this year's lower-ranked classes, Ichinose put the pieces together.

President Horikita was from Class A. The lower-ranked classes could mean B, C, and D, but she herself was in Class B. So what Senior Tachibana was hinting at was that the president cared about this year's Classes C and D.

Faced with President Horikita bringing up Kujo's name out of the blue, Ichinose quickly reached a conclusion: Kujo knew the president in front of her.

Horikita Manabu pushed up his glasses and asked his next question with interest.

"Speaking of which, there's been a rumor going around our year and the second-years lately. I hear Class 1-B intends to join forces with Classes C and D to challenge Class A's position. Can you clear that up for me?"

Hearing this question only confirmed Ichinose's suspicions.

President Horikita and Kujo definitely knew each other.

Ichinose wasn't completely in the dark about Kujo. In fact, she had been speculating about him since the beginning of the school year. Ishizaki's arrival had only confirmed what she'd suspected.

Should she go along with "Kujo's" proposal?

What if "Kujo" and President Horikita were on bad terms?

Ichinose's mind raced, and she quickly came up with the best approach.

She wanted to test President Horikita.

It was an extremely bold idea.

The person before her was the Student Council president, at the very top of this school's hierarchy, while she was merely a first-year from Class 1-B who had only just enrolled.

Even so, Ichinose didn't want to back down. She wanted to give it one more try.

After all, she had the expectations of all the students in Class B resting on her shoulders.

"Yes. It was Kujo who proposed the plan, but he doesn't seem to trust the Student Council very much. I came here this time because I wanted to see the truth about this school for myself. I want to protect my classmates."

"Kujo" had given Class B two pieces of information: first, that Classes B, C, and D should cooperate in future exams; second, that the first-years' opponents were the upper-year students and the Student Council would refuse to let first-years join.

Ichinose had deliberately revealed "Kujo's" plan because she wanted to see what kind of relationship he had with President Horikita.

Horikita Manabu clearly fell into thought when he heard that "Kujo didn't trust the Student Council."

That sounded exactly like something Kujo would say.

And the girl's earlier claim that she had come to join the Student Council because of Kujo was also intriguing.

Horikita Manabu hadn't originally thought much of Ichinose.

His sole criterion for recruiting new members to the Student Council was whether they could stand up to his second-year underclassman, Nagumo.

Unlike him, Nagumo came from Class B. Thanks to his talent and determination, he'd earned a chance to rise to Class A, and in just one year, he'd brought most of the second-years under his control and made them work for him.

Someone like that was too ambitious and too combative. Anyone he set his sights on would be in for trouble.

"I'll come right out and ask. I gave Kujo-kun a chance to join the Student Council. I gave him a week to respond, and today is the last day. Ichinose Honami, did he send you here?"

"Yes."

For the sake of her class, Ichinose decided to lie.

Horikita Manabu saw through it, too.

She was the sort of girl who could read the room and force herself to do whatever it took for her class.

Horikita Manabu had noticed how exhausted she looked from the start. It was easy to imagine that she'd already taken on a considerable share of her class's responsibilities.

Horikita Manabu had come from Class A, carrying the responsibility and duty of protecting his class.

Then he became Student Council president, adding another shackle to his burden: protecting the school.

To restrain his underclassman Nagumo, he needed someone who could oppose him and satisfy his appetite for competition.

To restrain the first-years, all he needed was a shackle called trust.

Use Ichinose to restrain Kujo, then use Kujo to restrain Nagumo. That was the best strategy Horikita Manabu could come up with at the moment.

"You passed. Find a time to report to the Student Council. I'll generally be there. Afterward, you can choose to work with the second-year, Nagumo, or with Tachibana. It's up to you. Tachibana, go inform everyone."

With that, Horikita Manabu rose and left the meeting room.

Ichinose hurried to her feet and bowed in thanks.

Meanwhile, Secretary Tachibana was stunned.

What?

What?

What had just happened?

Could someone tell me what you two were talking about just now?!