Chapter 21

"It seems the two of you are getting along quite well."

Arisu Sakayanagi watched the two whispering to each other and couldn't help but smile.

Masayoshi Hashimoto replied immediately, "I just think highly of him, Her Highness."

It seemed he still insisted on calling Sakayanagi "Her Highness" even when they were out in public.

Toru Hasegawa pondered these trivialities while shoveling down his moderately priced set meal and the complimentary Mountain Vegetable Set Meal.

He always ate two portions at lunch; he was still growing, after all, so there was no shame in it.

"Do you have any plans for tomorrow, Hasegawa-kun? It is the school's first day off, after all."

In the blink of an eye, it was already Friday, the day students looked forward to most in the week. Arisu Sakayanagi took the opportunity to inquire about Toru Hasegawa's schedule.

"Didn't you get the news? We have to attend the Student Council interview tomorrow."

"And besides that?"

Arisu Sakayanagi clearly had no intention of letting Toru Hasegawa off the hook so easily.

"I've been invited to go to karaoke. Classmate Hashimoto, I'm right, aren't I?"

Masayoshi Hashimoto nodded. "That's correct. I'm among those invited as well."

"In that case, it can't be helped." A look of genuine regret appeared on Arisu Sakayanagi's face. "I wish you both a pleasant holiday."

"I will," Toru Hasegawa nodded, accepting Arisu Sakayanagi's well-wishes with composure.

And just like that, the time on Friday slipped away as it always did.

On Saturday, Toru Hasegawa rose early.

It couldn't be helped; the Student Council interview time was quite peculiar, scheduled right in the morning.

However, he didn't have anything to prepare for. After a quick wash, Toru Hasegawa arrived at the door of the Student Council office.

Several students were already waiting there. Two of them were his classmates, Kohei Katsuragi and Arisu Sakayanagi, and the other was the girl with golden-pink hair whom Toru Hasegawa had noticed before.

Even so, all he knew about her for now was that she was from Class B of the first year.

"Are you here for the Student Council interview?"

The girl took the initiative to start the conversation.

"Yeah, you too?"

Since a beautiful girl had opened the conversation, Toru Hasegawa wasn't about to kill the mood by saying something like "What else would I be here for?" The two were soon chatting away.

"I'm Honami Ichinose from Class B. Nice to meet you."

"Toru Hasegawa, Class A. Nice to meet you."

"Eh? Are you that Hasegawa-kun?"

Honami Ichinose had clearly heard of him. After all, the incident at the club orientation had become the talk of the first years; almost everyone in the grade had heard of Toru's exploits.

"That's me." Toru Hasegawa rubbed his head, unsure if this fame was a good thing or a bad thing.

Honami Ichinose's eyes lit up. "I really admire you. Back then, no one dared to speak up, but you were the only one who dared to break the tension. Oh, and Classmate Sakayanagi too! Even in that environment, she didn't show a hint of nervousness!"

With the person in question standing right beside them, Honami Ichinose generously praised the courage of both of them.

"Heh, I'm not sure if that counts as courage. Maybe I just couldn't stand the way President Horikita was controlling the atmosphere all by himself~"

Toru Hasegawa tried to deny the claim that he was brave.

Standing at the door of the Student Council office, if he said something like this and a rival decided to use it against him, wouldn't that be considered a failure in the general sense?

But Honami Ichinose gave him the feeling that she would never use such a thing against him—not just because of the 90 favorability rating hovering over her head, but because of a certain aura she exuded.

It was mysterious and intangible, yet undeniably real.

"Even so, that's still amazing."

As expected, she said it as if it were a matter of course.

"The time has come. Who is going first?"

Secretary Tachibana opened the Student Council office door from the inside. It was impossible to tell if she had heard what Toru Hasegawa just said; in any case, no useful information could be gleaned from her expression.

"May I go in first?"

Honami Ichinose asked, glancing at the other three.

"Of course," Toru Hasegawa said immediately.

The other two had no intention of getting up from their seats, so they tacitly agreed.

And so, Honami Ichinose was the first to enter the Student Council office.

After she went in, Secretary Tachibana closed the door.

Toru Hasegawa couldn't hear a single sound from inside; it seemed the Student Council office door had excellent soundproofing.

"Are you perhaps interested in Honami Ichinose, Toru Hasegawa?"

After Honami Ichinose went inside, Arisu Sakayanagi spoke with a meaningful tone.

"Why wouldn't I be? She's beautiful, has a great figure, and I'm completely captivated by her charm."

"You only made a move on Kamuro yesterday; your speed in changing your affections is truly impressive."

"I really appreciate that, but absolutely nothing like that happened yesterday. I didn't confess to Kamuro; she simply rejected my request to continue interacting with her, okay?"

If he and Arisu Sakayanagi were the only ones present, he wouldn't have bothered explaining himself, especially since she was the one who knew the facts better than anyone.

Toru Hasegawa said this entirely for Kohei Katsuragi to hear.

As it turned out, the door to the Student Council office opened shortly after, and Honami Ichinose walked out with a look of disappointment on her face.

Anyone could tell that things hadn't gone very well for her inside.

"Next." Secretary Tachibana's voice was devoid of emotion, urging them on as if she were in a hurry to finish the task. "Hurry up, which one of you three is coming in?"

Logically speaking, the first and last people to be interviewed would have a significant advantage, but since Honami Ichinose had already failed, Toru Hasegawa felt that the order might not be that important to President Horikita.

However, he had no intention of going in second, as he still had things to do.

"I'll go."

Kohei Katsuragi rose from his seat and walked with steady steps into the Student Council office.

"Um, could I exchange contact information with you?" Toru Hasegawa's way of striking up a conversation was so direct that even he felt a little awkward.

Honami Ichinose didn't seem to mind at all; instead, she looked pleasantly surprised. "Eh? Is that really okay?"

It seemed the operation was a success. The two exchanged contact information, and Toru Hasegawa gained his first friend from Class B—and a beautiful one at that.

"Were you just rejected?"

Since even such a direct request had been accepted, Toru Hasegawa decided he could ask her directly. Looking at the 90 favorability rating above Honami Ichinose's head, he pondered many things in his mind.

"Yes, President Horikita said that with my current experience and abilities, I am not qualified for the duties of the Student Council." Honami Ichinose nodded gently, quickly shaking off the low spirits she had felt earlier.

As expected of her.

Toru Hasegawa praised her in his heart, then asked, "Is this your first time wanting to join the Student Council?"

"No, I served as the Student Council President at my school back in middle school."

To his surprise, Honami Ichinose gave this answer.

"Ah, this..." Toru Hasegawa was stunned. She could be rejected on the spot even with that background? Just how high were President Horikita's standards?

"Not accepting you is President Horikita's loss."

Toru Hasegawa offered a small word of comfort to Honami Ichinose.

"No, it must be that I did something wrong, which is why I disappointed President Horikita." Honami Ichinose shook her head. "I will keep working hard!"

Are you glowing? You're definitely glowing, aren't you!

Toru Hasegawa confirmed his goal. A girl like this—if he could win her heart, he would surely be very happy, right?