Interlude (1)

The next morning, Kitahara Seiichi slowly woke from his slumber.

Turning on his unopened computer, Kitahara muttered:

"Damn, I actually forgot about this yesterday. It must be because those two took up so much of my energy."

Kitahara Seiichi then grabbed the phone beside him, realized with a start that class was about to begin, and quickly sprinted toward the classroom.

After the full day of classes ended, just as he was preparing to leave the classroom, he happened to see Kushida Kikyo talking to Ayanokoji.

It seems she is starting to make contact with Horikita Suzune.

Though it doesn't really have much to do with me.

But why hasn't the system shown its face lately? Did it forget about me?

Kitahara didn't dwell on it and continued with his task—gaining the attention of the remaining four people.

As Kitahara walked on the way to the store, he saw another familiar figure.

"Hi, Ichinose-san, we meet again."

"Hello, Kitahara-kun, good afternoon."

[Hmm, wait, didn't the broadcast mention today that the Student Council is recruiting?]

"Hmm, are you heading to the Student Council interview, Ichinose?"

"Ah... yes. How did you know, Kitahara-kun?"

[I can't exactly say I'm looking at this from a god's-eye view. Even if you go, you won't be accepted, and you'll end up targeted by that blond guy, have your weaknesses held against you, and nearly get expelled.]

(Of course, I can't say it like that. Since we've run into each other, I might as well give a slight warning.)

"It's probably because of your personality, Ichinose. Even though school only started two days ago, your friendly nature and attitude toward your class are already famous throughout the grade."

"Is that so? I'm not as good as you say, Kitahara-kun." Ichinose's cheeks flushed slightly as she twirled her pink hair while answering.

"Are you joining the Student Council to better protect your class, Ichinose?"

Hearing this, Ichinose looked exceptionally firm.

"Yes, because that way I can better obtain information from around the campus."

Sensing the conviction in Ichinose's tone, Kitahara realized that even if he warned her, it probably wouldn't change her resolve.

"Alright then, I hope you pass the interview smoothly, Ichinose."

"Mm-hmm, thank you for the encouragement, Kitahara-kun."

After Ichinose left, Kitahara still took out his phone and sent her a message:

Watch out for the Student Council Vice President, Nagumo Miyabi.

On the other side, Ichinose was in the preparation room when she heard her phone chime and saw the message from Kitahara-kun.

"Be careful of him, huh," Ichinose murmured.

At the same time, another person entered the preparation room—a bald youth with a composed aura.

"Oh, hello. I'm Ichinose Honami from Class 1-B. Are you here for the Student Council interview too?"

"Hello, I am Katsuragi Kohei from Class 1-A. I am also here for the interview."

Before they could continue their conversation, a voice came from the Student Council door:

"Will Katsuragi Kohei from Class 1-A please begin the interview."

"Well, good luck, Katsuragi-kun," Ichinose said with a blessing.

"Yes, thank you. You as well."

Yosh, back in his dorm, Kitahara finally finished setting up his computer and couldn't wait to turn it on.

"Let me see if I can actually download it."

"..."

"Haha, it works! Now, I just need to find a few teammates to start ranking."

"For now, let me jump in and practice my feel for the game."

Meanwhile, at a coffee shop in the mall, Horikita Suzune had "coincidentally" met with Kushida Kikyo at Ayanokoji's invitation.

"I'm leaving," Horikita Suzune said.

"You haven't been here long, have you?"

"With Kushida here, you don't need me anymore, right?"

"No, look, Kushida and I are just classmates."

"My relationship with you is the same, and besides..."

"You're annoying me. What exactly are you trying to do?" Horikita turned and said to Kushida.

"Oh, stop it, it really was just a coincidence."

[Kushida, the correct response right now should be—what do you mean by that?] Ayanokoji thought as he looked at Kushida.

"The two people sitting here just now, and the two at the next table, they are all classmates from Class D. Is that also a coincidence?"

"You're really observant; I didn't notice that at all."

"Besides, we came here right after school. They arrived at most a few minutes before us. It would be too strange for them to leave so quickly."

"Sorry, I made preparations beforehand."

"I thought as much."

"Horikita, please be my friend." Kushida Kikyo stood up and said.

"I'd like you to stop bothering me. I won't cause any trouble for the class."

"But don't you feel lonely being by yourself all the time?"

"I have never felt that being alone is lonely. It's a complete waste of time. Everything you say makes me feel quite unpleasant."

"Hey, do you really think this is okay?"

"By not intending to make friends with anyone like this, it means you'll be on your own for the next three years."

"This kind of life has been going on for nine years already. If you include kindergarten, it's even longer."

Having said that, Horikita Suzune left the place.

Meanwhile, at the student council, Ichinose Honami was walking out of the meeting room in low spirits. It was clear she hadn't passed the interview. Although she tried her best to hide her emotions, one could still notice that she was different from usual.

Ichinose sat in an empty seat, her eyes beginning to turn slightly red, as she thought to herself:

[Is it truly impossible for me to wash away my "sins"?]

"This beautiful girl, why is she sitting here? Is there some kind of trouble?"

Hearing this, Ichinose looked up and saw a blonde-haired boy.

"I... I'm fine." Ichinose rubbed her reddened eyes.

"Is that so? You can tell me if you have any problems."

Ichinose paused, feeling a bit moved. Deep down, she felt a blockage and really wanted to tell him about her situation.

"Um, thank you. I am Ichinose Honami from Class 1-B."

"I am the student council vice president—Nagumo Miyabi."

"Nagumo Miyabi-senpai..." Ichinose recalled Kitahara's warning and replied:

"Thank you for your concern, Senpai. I feel much better now." She then hurriedly took her leave.

Watching Ichinose depart, Nagumo Miyabi's expression darkened as he muttered:

"That's not right. Judging by her expression just now, she was clearly on the verge of spilling it. Why did she leave immediately after I introduced myself?"

"..."

After leaving, Ichinose returned to her dormitory and began to ponder why Kitahara knew so much about the student council members (it seemed the vice president hadn't even appeared at yesterday's opening ceremony), and why he had told her to be careful of him.

"Kitahara-kun is truly mysterious!"

Back in his room, Kitahara, who had been struggling since school ended, stared at the "Long Princess" he had just been soloed by and couldn't help but burst out:

"Ismail Family, I swear we are irreconcilable enemies."

"Grrr... grrr."

Forget it, I'll go to the store and buy a bento to fill my stomach first.

"Damn, it's so late. I'm afraid there won't be many people left, but thankfully the store never closes." Kitahara said while holding his phone, then quickly headed toward the convenience store.