Horikita Manabu's words were fairly mild, but combined with his calm, composed tone and serious expression, they quickly brought the entire situation under his control.
Mu Tianchen admired him for it. No wonder so many upperclassmen were afraid of him.
Still, when he had just surveyed the crowd, he seemed to have lingered for a few seconds on a girl near the front.
Mu Tianchen knew her. She was Ayanokouji's deskmate, and he thought her name was Horikita. She hadn't said a word during the introductions earlier.
He'd only learned her name by chance during a break, when he overheard her talking with Ayanokouji.
Another Horikita. Could she be his younger sister?
She was pretty unusual, too. As far as he could tell, she'd only spoken with Ryoji in their class. Two weird people had ended up together.
No, she hadn't only spoken with Ayanokouji. Mu Tianchen remembered that she'd mocked Sudo at the convenience store last time.
Speaking of Sudo, why did he seem to be everywhere lately? This time, he'd even... insulted the student council president...
He was probably pretty scared now, too. The president didn't look like the sort of petty person who'd retaliate behind someone's back, though.
"Lastly, I hope none of you come to the Student Council elections with naïve or disruptive intentions. I don't want to bring anyone like that in and pollute the Student Council's environment! We need to take responsibility for what we do! We need to take responsibility for our school!"
Horikita Manabu had delivered those words with great emphasis. It seemed that getting into the Student Council wouldn't be easy for just anyone. He was certainly capable of competing for a position himself.
But he wouldn't. He hated the feeling of having to work under someone else every day, especially when there were so many rules.
He'd leave the spot for someone else to fight over. It didn't matter to him.
After finishing his speech, Horikita Manabu stepped down from the stage and walked straight out of the gym.
Nearly everyone in the gym watched the president leave, especially the first-years who had mocked him earlier. They were afraid he might turn around and punish them one by one.
Only after they were sure he was really gone did they secretly sigh with relief.
After all, as Student Council president, he did have that kind of authority. He couldn't wield it openly, but who knew what he might do behind the scenes?
Sudo watched him leave, but his face was still pale with fright. He'd insulted him in front of all those people! And he was the Student Council president—being humiliated like that was bound to leave a grudge.
Sudo wasn't exactly afraid of being punished by the president. He'd just heard that when a club member became an official member, they needed the approval of the Student Council.
He'd already joined the basketball club, and he believed that with his ability, becoming an official team member wouldn't be a problem.
But if the president held a grudge and used this chance to retaliate, his dream of becoming a professional basketball player would be in serious trouble!
He decided to discuss a plan with his good friends after the event.
With the president's departure, the club recruitment event came to a close.
The purple-haired senpai with her hair in a bun went up to deliver the final remarks, then invited everyone to leave.
Of course, today's event had only been a demonstration. To actually sign up, students had to register in their respective clubs' activity rooms. The gym had to be cleared for everyone to use, so the event couldn't take up too much time.
"Hey, hey, come over here." Sudo had just walked out of the gym when he began looking around by the entrance.
When he spotted Ike and Yamauchi walking together, he immediately called them over. Seeing that it was Sudo, Ike and Yamauchi came right over without hesitation.
Sudo led them to a small grove nearby and stopped. He sat down on a stone bench in the grove, with Ike and Yamauchi sitting opposite him.
"Why'd you call us over? Our time is precious, you know."
"Yeah, we still have to sign up for the anime club. They might run out of spots if we're late."
Ike and Yamauchi seemed a little impatient.
"Quiet down! This is important!" Sudo shouted at them, and they immediately shut their mouths.
"So, I just insulted the Student Council president in front of all those people. Do you have any good ideas for how I can get him to forgive me?"
"So you insulted him. So what? Sudo, are you planning to join the Student Council or something?" Ike asked, confused.
"Of course not! I'm devoted to basketball. I wouldn't join any club except the basketball club."
"But you're already in the basketball club, aren't you? I thought you applied as soon as you got here." Yamauchi was confused, too.
"Are you idiots? That's not what I mean. I'm worried the Student Council will target me when I apply to become an official member. I heard from a senpai that getting their approval is part of the process."
"Oh, oh, I get it now." Ike and Yamauchi finally understood.
"So, for the sake of my basketball dream, help me come up with a plan." Sudo pressed his hands together in a pleading gesture.
"Don't worry. We're your good buddies—we'll definitely help you."
After a moment of silence, Yamauchi seemed to come up with an idea and spoke up.
"I think you should give him a gift. That's what they usually do in TV dramas."
Ike disagreed. "No, no, you should do a dogeza. That's how you show you're sincere. What do you think, Sudo?"
Sudo hesitated. Their ideas didn't sound too bad, but doing a dogeza was still a bit much for him. Ever since he was a kid, other people had been the ones bowing down to him.
He'd never done it to anyone else before. But for the sake of his basketball dream, he supposed he could.
Giving a gift was fine, too, but he'd spent too much lately and barely had any points left. He couldn't exactly give the president something cheap, could he?
"Um, those are both good ideas. To be safe, I'll use both. I don't have many points left to buy a gift, so could you lend me some? We get a hundred thousand points every month, after all. I'll pay you back later."
"We don't have much, either," the two of them said in unison when they heard he wanted to borrow points.
"Ugh, then what am I supposed to do?"
"I can sell you this. Most guys like game consoles, and I bought this one for eighty thousand points. Remember to pay me back the full amount next month." Yamauchi slowly pulled the game console he'd bought not long ago from his pocket.
"Thank you, my good buddy!" Sudo was so moved that tears streamed down his face. He immediately went over and hugged Yamauchi.
"When you go to the Student Council Office later, remember to give him the gift first, then do the dogeza. If he refuses, try a few more times. When important people refuse at first, they're just being polite." Ike remembered a scene from a TV drama and began giving Sudo advice.
"And make sure you're kneeling when you present the gift. Hold it out with both hands," Yamauchi added.
"No problem. I'll do whatever you say."
After thanking them, Sudo headed straight for the Student Council Office.
Standing outside the office with the game console in his hands, Sudo still felt a little nervous. This was his first time doing a dogeza for someone. But it was all for his basketball dream, so it was worth it.
After working up his courage, Sudo knocked on the door.
"Come in," the Student Council president called from inside.
Sudo went in, saw the president working on some documents, and immediately dropped to his knees with a thud, holding the game console out in both hands.
"What are you doing?" Horikita Manabu was so startled that he immediately stood up and hurried over to help him up.
"I'm sorry, President! Please take this and forgive me!"
Horikita Manabu: ???
It took Horikita Manabu a great deal of effort to correct Sudo's mistaken ideas.
Honestly, this guy really was an idiot!
Before you continue