Horikita Manabu's Gaze

That counted as a mistake on Shiraishi Makoto's part, too. He had explained the rules to everyone, but he hadn't considered how well his classmates would take them in, and now some of them had gone a little too far in the other direction.

Everyone in Class B was now on edge, seeing danger in every little thing. They connected everything to the year-group evaluation and then worked hard with the goal of surpassing the other classes.

Before long, though, a figure emerged onto the stage at the front of the gymnasium. She was an upperclasswoman with long purple hair tied into a bun.

"First-year students, sorry for the wait. Next, representatives from each club will introduce their clubs. I'm Tachibana, the Student Council secretary, and I'll be hosting today's orientation. I look forward to working with you."

After host Tachibana Akane finished her opening remarks, representatives from the various clubs came out from backstage and lined up onstage.

As the upperclassmen took turns introducing their clubs, Shiraishi Makoto glanced around and spotted Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and Horikita Suzune hiding near the back. He didn't watch them for long. After confirming they were there, he used Horikita Suzune to locate the Student Council President, Horikita Manabu.

Before long, the gymnasium witnessed one of Horikita Manabu's iconic moments.

When the first-years from the other classes assumed the upperclassman had been stunned into silence and loudly heckled him from below the stage, Horikita Manabu remained composed, surveying everyone in the audience and responding with a silence that made them uneasy.

Only after tension and silence had filled the entire gymnasium did he slowly speak. "I am Horikita Manabu, the Student Council President."

"As always, with the graduation of the upperclassmen, the Student Council will recruit candidates from the first-years. There are no special requirements for candidates, but anyone considering running for the Student Council should avoid joining other clubs. In principle, applicants who wish to join both the Student Council and another club will not be accepted."

Horikita Manabu's voice was gentle, yet it carried a powerful force that silenced every student in the gymnasium.

"Next—our Student Council has no interest in candidates with naïve ideas. People like that would not only fail to get elected; they would likely bring shame upon the school. Our school's Student Council is entrusted by the administration with the power and responsibility to change the rules, and is therefore held to high expectations. We welcome only those who understand this."

The moment Shiraishi Makoto heard those final words, he knew they were in trouble.

Sure enough, a few students in the class turned to look in Shiraishi Makoto's direction. Perhaps they realized what they were doing, or perhaps someone else reminded them, because they soon turned back around.

Shiraishi Makoto noticed those glances, but there was nothing he could do now. Horikita Manabu's gaze had fallen on him.

Horikita Manabu's gaze lingered for only a moment, but Shiraishi Makoto didn't think it was a coincidence. He had just laid down the law, and no student should have dared to look around now, which made the small movements of the Class B students especially conspicuous.

After finishing his speech smoothly, Horikita Manabu stepped off the stage and left the gymnasium.

The first-years could only watch the Student Council President leave in silence.

"Thank you for your effort, everyone. The orientation is now over. We'll begin accepting club applications. Applications will remain open through the end of April, so if you decide to apply later, please take your application form directly to the club you wish to join."

Students from the other classes began to move, while Shiraishi Makoto took out his phone.

"Feel free to pick any club you'd like to join. It looks like a lot of clubs welcome beginners, so I don't think it matters if you're completely new to it," Shiraishi Makoto typed in the class group chat.

Soon, another student replied in the group chat: "I think even a beginner like me could join a sports club and get some exercise~ The Student Council seems a little strict, though."

Shiraishi Makoto saw that the message was from Hamaguchi Tetsuya. He immediately understood what Hamaguchi was getting at and played along.

Before long, the class group chat grew more active, with many people sharing their thoughts.

It seemed everyone understood what he meant, so Shiraishi Makoto put his phone away. A few of the class's core members came over.

"Shiraishi, do you want to try applying for the Student Council?" Ichinose Honami asked quietly. Kanzaki Ryuji, Hamaguchi Tetsuya, and the others nearby looked over. They didn't say anything, but they all seemed to feel the same way.

"I think Ichinose should apply," Shiraishi Makoto said after a moment's hesitation.

"But..." Ichinose had just started to speak when Shiraishi Makoto cut in. "After President Horikita's speech, I'd guess the only people planning to join the Student Council are the 'strongest' students from each class. And when it comes to overall ability, you're the strongest in our class."

"Besides, I might not be suited to Student Council work," Shiraishi Makoto continued. "So I think Ichinose should apply. We'll support you from behind."

After hearing Shiraishi Makoto's explanation, Kanzaki and the others thought it over and agreed. Ichinose had ranked first in the year on the entrance exam, and she had impeccable social skills. Her strategic abilities were hard to assess, since their class had an extraordinary talent like Shiraishi Makoto, but on paper, Ichinose had no weaknesses.

"In that case... leave it to me." After hearing Shiraishi Makoto's explanation, Ichinose Honami nodded firmly. "I'll go submit my application now."

"We'll wait for you," Kobashi Yume said.

"I'm planning to join the Judo club," Kanzaki Ryuji said. "I've had systematic training before, so I'm pretty good."

Did "pretty good" mean he had a black belt? Shiraishi Makoto really wanted to ask.

"Then I'll join the art club," Shiranami Chihiro said.

Before long, the students with particular skills had gone off to join the clubs that suited them. The ones left behind included Shiraishi Makoto, Hamaguchi Tetsuya, Kobashi Yume, and Amikura Mako—students without any especially impressive talents or plans to join a club.

Ichinose Honami soon returned. There was no line at the Student Council booth, but quite a few people were applying to other clubs, so she had needed to wait a little.

While they waited, Shiraishi Makoto and several classmates exchanged contact information. Come to think of it, was exchanging contact information even with classmates considered rather formal in Japan? On second thought, maybe the habit went back to the old days of playing QQ Farm, parking cars, or some other Q Pet battle game.

Taking the opportunity, Shiraishi Makoto reminded Ichinose Honami of something else.

"Besides competition between classes, it's possible that under special circumstances, there could also be competition between year groups. So..." Shiraishi Makoto left it at that, and Ichinose Honami understood.

"If any issues come up, I'll ask everyone for advice."