Joining the Student Council

Yun Lan waited quietly, expecting Manabu Horikita to respond with a sneer or a cold rejection. He could almost predict how Horikita would weigh the pros and cons, then crush his "immature" reasoning with icy logic.

However, Manabu Horikita fell silent.

He stared at Yun Lan, his sharp gaze seeming to pierce his eyes and reach deep within, testing the answer for the slightest trace of insincerity or hesitation. Time passed slowly in the silent standoff.

A few seconds later, Manabu Horikita gave the faintest nod, almost too subtle to notice.

Then, in his usual steady tone, devoid of any emotional fluctuation, he said:

"Then welcome to the Student Council."

The words fell like a stone dropped into a still lake.

A flash of surprise crossed Yun Lan's eyes, but he quickly suppressed it. He gave a slight nod, his tone turning more solemn. "Thank you, President. I'll do my duty."

Manabu Horikita said nothing more. He only gave Yun Lan one last look. His gaze was extraordinarily complex, seemingly mixing in a faint, inscrutable meaning—perhaps scrutiny, perhaps a measure of approval, or perhaps he had simply seen an interesting, unconventional "variable."

"Mm. I'll help you."

Yun Lan said it out of the blue.

Manabu Horikita's pupils abruptly contracted at his words. He gave Yun Lan a long, deep look.

"I look forward to it."

Yun Lan and Honami Ichinose left the Student Council.

Yun Lan's figure disappeared behind the Student Council Room door, and the soft click of it closing sounded especially clear in the quiet room.

A brief silence settled over the room, broken only by the faint bustle outside the window and the clock's steady ticking. Akane Tachibana turned her gaze from the closed door to Manabu Horikita behind the desk. Her brow furrowed, and clear worry showed in her eyes. She held her record book, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the edge of the page.

"President..." She hesitated, but eventually spoke. Her voice was lower than usual, and her tone cautiously probing.

As the Student Council's secretary, she was more than a recorder of meetings; she was the president's most capable assistant. She had long been responsible for accurately organizing and archiving all manner of affairs, discussions, and even subtle shifts in the atmosphere. Because of this, she knew Manabu Horikita's way of doing things better than anyone: efficient and levelheaded, focused on results and rules, and almost exacting in his scrutiny of anything that might affect the organization's effectiveness or stray from its established goals.

That was precisely why what had just happened left her so confused, even uneasy.

"Is it really all right to let Yun Lan join just like that?" She chose her words carefully, her gaze passing over the remarkably brief "reason for applying" she had just written down in her record book, as well as the president's final words: "Welcome to the Student Council." "His answer... and the 'methods' he used against the clubs yesterday... They don't seem entirely in keeping with the Student Council's usual standards for selection." She wasn't questioning the president's decision. It was her duty to point out any potential risks. Yun Lan was like a stone dropped into a still lake; his unpredictability stood out sharply in the Student Council, which valued order and control.

Manabu Horikita didn't answer immediately. He remained seated in the broad office chair, leaning back slightly, his gaze resting on the application Yun Lan had just filled out. The ink seemed not to have dried yet. The words "Because I want to join" looked defiantly out of place on the standardized form.

After a moment, he raised his eyes to Akane Tachibana, whose face was full of worry. His expression remained calm, and his gaze behind the lenses was deep and unreadable.

"Tachibana." He called her by name. His voice was as steady as ever, yet carried a reassuring strength. "There's no need to worry."

He paused and lightly tapped a finger on the desk, as if gathering his thoughts—or emphasizing what he was about to say.

"I have my own plans."

He said it casually, but the words carried tremendous weight. He gave no specific reason, offered no analysis of Yun Lan's "value" or "danger," and showed no intention of changing his decision. It was simply a statement, a confident declaration rooted in considerations at a higher level.

Watching his calm profile, Akane Tachibana felt the tension in her shoulders ease slightly. She knew the president. He wasn't someone who let emotions sway him or made spur-of-the-moment decisions. His "plans" must have been carefully considered, though she might not yet fully grasp their depth or purpose.

Perhaps the president saw more than Yun Lan's unorthodox claim that "feelings matter." He saw the courage it took to speak so frankly in front of the Student Council—and before the president himself—as well as the "ability" and adaptability he had displayed by taking a different path from the usual. Perhaps he even saw how a "destabilizing factor" like him could shake up a system that had remained unchanged. In this school, where everything was calculated and planned, someone who couldn't be easily categorized and refused to play by the rules might be a rare "resource" or "litmus test" in his own right.

"I understand, President." Akane Tachibana took a light breath and nodded. The worry in her eyes hadn't vanished entirely, but it had been replaced by professional obedience and trust. She opened her record book to a fresh page. "Then should we make any special notes about Yun Lan's initial duties and what we should observe?"

"Let him start as a secretary." Manabu Horikita turned his attention back to the other documents on his desk, his tone returning to its usual concise efficiency. "As for observing him... There's no need for special notes. The Student Council itself is the best place to observe him. Every choice he makes and every action he takes will speak for itself."

"Yes." Akane Tachibana neatly recorded his instructions.

Manabu Horikita said nothing more and returned to his work, as though the incident that might have affected the Student Council's future was no more than another ordinary matter in his day. Yet, as he lowered his gaze, a faint glimmer of anticipation seemed to pass through the depths of his eyes.

He had his own plans. The first step was to place Yun Lan, a unique piece, on the board. The game to come would be worth watching.

"Brother Lan!" She lowered her voice, but her urgency made it especially clear. "What did you mean by what you said to President Horikita at the end in there? 'Feelings matter more than graduation'... Why would you say that? And the president actually let you join!" Her questions came in a rapid-fire burst, her cheeks faintly flushed with excitement and worry. She didn't know much about the rules of this school, but Yun Lan's answer sounded to her like dancing right in the Student Council President's danger zone. Yet the result had been completely unexpected, leaving her even more confused and curious.