"So the student council president even has the authority to change school rules to some extent."
"Furthermore, most committee heads and the student council president have the power to appoint and dismiss members."
"But my Disciplinary Committee is different."
Watanabe Mari picked up where Saegusa Mayumi had left off.
"My Public Morals Committee is made up of three students recommended by the Student Council, the Club Alliance, and the faculty, respectively. So in a sense, Mayumi and I have equal authority."
Shiba Tatsuya and Shiba Miyuki nodded again to show they understood.
"It's also an annual tradition. The top student among the freshmen is usually invited to join the Student Council, mainly so they can be groomed as a successor."
"Although new students who join the Student Council are groomed as successors, that doesn't mean they're guaranteed to take over. Still, the odds are pretty high."
"So usually, the Student Council only has one first-year student each year."
Shiba Miyuki and Shiba Tatsuya's eyes drifted involuntarily toward Kudo Mitsunobu.
Kudo Mitsunobu laughed without the slightest embarrassment. "I'm the exception, I guess. Anyway, let's keep listening to the president!"
"So Mayumi-senpai enrolled as the top freshman, then!"
Kudo Mitsunobu even took the opportunity to compliment Saegusa Mayumi.
"Mm."
Saegusa Mayumi replied softly, her face flushed. She was often praised by her elders and admired by her peers, but Kudo Mitsunobu's compliment still left her a little flustered.
"Ahem... So, Miyuki, I hope you'll join the Student Council."
"Would you be willing to accept the invitation?" Saegusa Mayumi lightly coughed into her fist, then composed herself and continued.
Shiba Miyuki looked to Shiba Tatsuya for guidance. He gave her an affirmative look.
After receiving Shiba Tatsuya's signal, Shiba Miyuki fell silent for a moment. When she finally raised her head, she looked a little excited.
"President, do you know how my brother did on the entrance exams? He got a perfect score on the written test."
Saegusa Mayumi nodded. "I know! There had never been a student with a perfect written-test score before, but this year there were two."
After saying this, Saegusa Mayumi glanced at Kudo Mitsunobu. Kudo Mitsunobu subtly shook his head, signaling that she shouldn't reveal that he was the other one.
Saegusa Mayumi blinked to show she understood.
The Shiba Siblings were already somewhat wary of him. If they learned his actual score, they would only become even more suspicious of him, and that was the last thing he wanted.
"Two?"
A question mark seemed to appear above Shiba Miyuki's head, and she looked a little flustered. She had meant to use her brother's excellent written-test score as a reason to recommend him for the Student Council.
She wanted her brother to have a bigger, better stage on which to showcase his talents.
Shiba Tatsuya was equally astonished. He knew his own circumstances better than anyone. The only reason he knew so much at his age was that he had a superhuman brain.
Yet someone else had managed to do the same.
Saegusa Mayumi's glance hadn't been particularly obvious, and Shiba Tatsuya hadn't been paying close attention, so his secret hadn't been exposed.
Magic high schools only published rankings based on overall scores. Each student's specific scores were sent only to them personally.
Shiba Miyuki was in the midst of an internal struggle. She wasn't sure whether she should continue with what she'd planned to say.
But after a while, her feelings won out over her reason.
Besides, she didn't believe some unknown student could be better than her brother. In her heart, her brother was the strongest and most perfect.
Except that he could be a blockhead.
"I'm very grateful for your invitation to join the Student Council, and I'm deeply honored."
"But could my brother join the Student Council with me?"
"If the work involves paperwork, I think my brother, who got a perfect score on the written test, would be better suited for it. Practical skills aren't relevant to that kind of work; knowledge and judgment matter more."
Shiba Tatsuya covered his face and sighed.
Saegusa Mayumi also found herself at a loss for how to respond. As far as she could tell, the young girl in front of her was speaking without thinking.
But Ichihara Suzune didn't have the same reservations as Saegusa Mayumi. Her tone was sharp.
"There are two conditions for joining the Student Council. Shiba, do you know what they are?"
"First, only one first-year student can join the Student Council. Usually, it's the top freshman. If the top student doesn't join, the spot goes to the next person in line. Of course, this is an unwritten rule, and there can be exceptions."
Shiba Miyuki's face brightened, but Ichihara Suzune's next words quickly dashed her hopes.
"Second, Student Council members must be selected from Course 1 Students. That one isn't an unwritten rule."
"It's a necessary requirement. If we wanted to change it by force, the decision would have to be made at a general student assembly attended by the entire student body."
### "The reason is that we can't hold a special assembly just for something like this, especially when there are currently equal numbers of Course 1 Students and Course 2 Students."
"To pass a motion, two-thirds of the entire student body has to vote in favor. So it's simply impossible to pass this change. Do you understand?"
Ichihara Suzune's tone was calm and unwavering.
"I see. I understand. I'm truly sorry for causing you trouble, senpai." Shiba Miyuki had also calmed down, and she spoke with an embarrassed expression.
"Clap, clap, clap."
Saegusa Mayumi clapped her hands, easing the awkward atmosphere in the room and drawing everyone's attention back to her.
"Then let me ask again."
"Miyuki, would you be willing to join the Student Council?"
Before you continue