"It looks like you two have a pretty good relationship."
Seeing the two of them whispering to each other, Sakayanagi Arisu couldn't help smiling.
Hashimoto Masayoshi answered at once. "I have a lot of faith in him, after all, Your Highness."
It seemed he still called Sakayanagi "Your Highness" when they were out in public.
Hasegawa Toru let his mind wander over this and that as he wolfed down a moderately priced set meal along with the free Mountain Vegetable Set Meal.
He always ate two meals' worth at lunch. He was still growing, after all. There was no shame in it.
"Do you have any plans for tomorrow, Hasegawa? It'll be our first day off since school started."
In the blink of an eye, Friday had arrived. As the day of the week students looked forward to most, Sakayanagi Arisu asked Hasegawa Toru what he had planned.
"Didn't you hear? We're going to the Student Council interview tomorrow."
"And besides that?"
Sakayanagi Arisu clearly wasn't going to let Hasegawa Toru off the hook so easily.
"I've been invited to karaoke. Hashimoto, I'm right, aren't I?"
Hashimoto Masayoshi nodded. "That's right. I got invited too."
"Since that's the case, I suppose there's nothing I can do." Sakayanagi Arisu looked a little disappointed. "I hope you have a pleasant day off."
"I will." Hasegawa Toru nodded, readily accepting Sakayanagi Arisu's well wishes.
And so, Friday passed just like any other day.
On Saturday, Hasegawa Toru got up early.
There was no helping it. The Student Council interviews were scheduled for an oddly specific time: the morning.
Still, he didn't have anything to prepare. After a quick wash, Hasegawa Toru headed to the Student Council Office.
Several students were already waiting outside. Two were his classmates, Katsuragi Kohei and Sakayanagi Arisu. The other was the pink-haired girl he'd noticed before.
Even so, all he knew about her was that she was in Class B, Year 1.
"Are you here for the Student Council interview?"
The girl was the first to strike up a conversation.
"Yeah. You too?"
Since a pretty girl had started the conversation, Hasegawa Toru wasn't going to ruin the mood by saying, "Why else would I be here?" They soon fell into conversation.
"I'm Honami Ichinose from Class B. Nice to meet you."
"Toru Hasegawa, Class A. Nice to meet you."
"Huh? You're Hasegawa?"
Honami Ichinose had clearly heard of him. That incident at the club fair had spread like wildfire among the first-years. Almost everyone in their year had heard about Hasegawa's exploits.
"Yeah." Hasegawa Toru scratched his head, unsure whether being so well-known was a good thing.
Ichinose's eyes lit up. "I really admire you. Nobody else dared to say anything back then, but you were the only one who broke the tension. Oh, and Classmate Sakayanagi was the same. She didn't look the least bit intimidated, even in that kind of situation!"
With the person she was praising standing right beside them, Honami Ichinose openly complimented both their courage.
"Hey, that doesn't necessarily mean I was brave. Maybe I just couldn't stand President Horikita controlling the whole atmosphere by himself. Who knows?"
Hasegawa Toru tried to deny that he'd been brave.
He was standing outside the Student Council Office, about to be interviewed. If a competitor used those words against him, then by any ordinary measure, he'd have already failed, wouldn't he?
But Honami Ichinose gave him the impression that she would never use something like that against him. It wasn't just the 90 in her affection rating above her head; it was also some quality she seemed to radiate.
It was hard to explain, but it was real.
"Even so, that's still amazing."
Sure enough, she spoke as though it were only natural.
"Time's up. Who wants to go first?"
Secretary Tachibana opened the door to the Student Council Office from the inside. Hasegawa Toru couldn't tell whether she'd heard what he'd just said. In any case, her expression revealed nothing useful.
"May I go in first?"
Honami Ichinose asked, glancing at the other three.
"Of course." Hasegawa Toru answered immediately.
The other two showed no sign of getting up from their seats, which was as good as agreeing.
And so, Honami Ichinose entered the Student Council Office first.
Once she was inside, Secretary Tachibana closed the door.
Hasegawa Toru couldn't hear a single sound from within. The Student Council Office door seemed to be very well soundproofed.
"Are you interested in Ichinose?"
After Honami Ichinose went in, Sakayanagi Arisu spoke with a hint of meaning in her voice.
"Obviously. She's beautiful, and her figure's great. I've completely fallen for her charms."
"You only just made a move on Kamuro yesterday. You sure fall for people fast."
"Thanks a lot. Nothing like that happened yesterday. I didn't confess to Kamuro. She just turned down my request to keep talking and getting to know each other, okay?"
If it had just been him and Sakayanagi Arisu, he wouldn't have bothered explaining. She knew the truth better than anyone.
Hasegawa Toru said that purely so Katsuragi Kohei would hear him.
Before long, though, the Student Council Office door opened. Honami Ichinose came out looking dejected.
Anyone could tell the interview hadn't gone well.
"Next." Secretary Tachibana's voice was emotionless, as if she just wanted to get the task over with. "Hurry up. Which of you three is going in?"
In theory, the first and last interviewees had a significant advantage. But Honami Ichinose had already failed, so Hasegawa Toru figured the order probably didn't matter much to President Horikita.
Still, he had no intention of going in second. He had something else to do.
"I'll go."
Katsuragi Kohei rose from his seat and strode into the Student Council Office with resolute steps.
"Um, could I get your contact information?" Hasegawa Toru asked bluntly. Even he felt a little awkward about it.
Honami Ichinose didn't seem bothered at all. Instead, she looked delighted. "Huh? Really?"
It looked like the plan had worked. They exchanged contact information, and Hasegawa Toru gained his first friend from Class B—and she was a gorgeous girl, too.
"Were you just rejected?"
Since she'd agreed to such a blunt request, Hasegawa Toru decided he could ask her directly. He glanced at the 90 above Honami Ichinose's head, his mind turning over countless thoughts.
"Mm. President Horikita said I don't yet have the experience or ability to fulfill the Student Council's responsibilities." Honami Ichinose nodded lightly, quickly shaking off her earlier disappointment.
That was just like her.
Hasegawa Toru praised her silently, then asked, "Was this your first time trying to join the Student Council?"
"No. I was the student council president at my middle school."
Hasegawa Toru was stunned by her answer. "Wait, what... You still got rejected on the spot? How high are President Horikita's standards?"
"It's President Horikita's loss for not accepting you."
Hasegawa Toru offered Honami Ichinose some comfort.
"No, I must have done something wrong. That's why I disappointed President Horikita." Honami Ichinose shook her head. "I'll keep trying!"
Wait, was she glowing? She definitely was!
Hasegawa Toru had found his goal. A girl like that—if he could win her over, wouldn't he be incredibly happy?
Before you continue