Running for Class Secretary

The next morning.

Inside the Class 1-D classroom.

The classroom door opened, and their homeroom teacher, Chabashira Sae, walked to the podium with a cool expression.

She swept her gaze over the listless students, a faint sneer touching her lips.

"It seems you still haven't come to terms with reality. Normally, this morning's homeroom period would be free study, but..."

Chabashira Sae turned her gaze to Hirata Yousuke in the front row.

"Hirata came to see me in the office first thing this morning with a proposal. I'll let him explain it to everyone himself."

Hirata Yousuke stood at once and walked to the podium, his expression gentle but solemn.

Standing beside Chabashira Sae, he took a deep breath and looked sincerely around the class.

"Everyone, as you can see, Class 1-D is facing an unprecedented crisis. Losing all our points is disheartening, but it doesn't mean we're out of hope."

It was a typical Hirata speech, at least as far as Tatsuya Sakuya was concerned.

"The school's rules are clear. Class Points aren't fixed."

"If we do well on the upcoming exams, our points can still recover."

At that, some students found their fighting spirit again.

"We can't get through this crisis alone."

Hirata Yousuke's tone grew more earnest.

"Class 1-D urgently needs a class committee capable of coordinating everyone's efforts."

"So I asked Chabashira-sensei to oversee this meeting and let the whole class vote for a leadership team headed by a class secretary."

Hirata Yousuke bowed slightly to the class.

"If you trust me, please give me your vote."

The moment he finished, enthusiastic applause broke out below the podium.

"That's Hirata for you."

"If Hirata takes the lead, maybe we really do have a chance."

Hirata Yousuke's words had lifted the mood in the classroom.

As Chabashira Sae watched impassively, several more students who had some confidence in their abilities went up to the podium one after another.

Some proposed that students keep a closer eye on one another's behavior in class.

Others proposed a strict attendance check-in system.

Still others tried to motivate everyone with verbal promises.

Their speeches all sounded like empty promises. None offered a concrete solution.

Horikita Suzune sat in her seat, watching the hollow campaign speeches with a cold expression.

She did not go up.

For one thing, her pride held her back.

For another, she knew perfectly well that she lacked the ability to lead the class.

Just as everyone thought Hirata would win uncontested and the election would move on to voting, Tatsuya Sakuya rose calmly from his seat.

The scattered murmurs in the classroom instantly died down. Every gaze turned toward him.

Tatsuya Sakuya walked to the podium at a steady pace. Unlike Hirata, he did not bow modestly. He simply stood at its center, his expression calm as he looked down at the bewildered students.

"After listening to everyone who spoke before me, I have only one thing to say."

Tatsuya Sakuya's clear, forceful voice carried through the classroom.

"Empty slogans and warm encouragement won't help us in any meaningful way."

Beside the podium, Hirata Yousuke's expression stiffened slightly. Some students shouted in displeasure.

"Hey, Shiba, Hirata's only trying to help everyone!"

Tatsuya Sakuya continued, calmly laying out the harsh reality.

"There are fewer than three weeks until the midterms. If we can't come up with anything concrete, at this rate, someone in Class 1-D will most likely be expelled."

"And once that happens, the class will be in an even worse position."

His words cut straight to the heart of the matter, snuffing out the false optimism Hirata Yousuke had just created.

"If you think things are so hopeless, do you have a solution?"

Yukimura Teruhiko, seated in the front row, pushed up his glasses and challenged him.

Chabashira Sae folded her arms and watched Tatsuya Sakuya at the podium with interest, as though waiting to see what he would do next.

Yukimura Teruhiko had voiced what most of the students wanted to ask. They were desperate for a solution too.

"As it happens, I do."

A faint smile curved Tatsuya Sakuya's lips.

"Chabashira-sensei, could you help me hand these out?"

He took a stack of printed pages from the folder he had brought and handed them to Chabashira Sae beside him.

Interesting.

Chabashira showed no reaction, but inwardly she was far from calm.

Earlier, she and the other homeroom teachers had been discussing in the office whether anyone might obtain actual exam papers from previous years. She had not expected Tatsuya Sakuya, who had been nearby, to surprise her like this.

At the very least, it showed that Class 1-D had someone capable.

Chabashira handed the papers to the front row.

"This is..."

The students in the front row read the words on the cover, and their eyes widened.

"These are the actual midterm papers from last year's first semester for every subject, complete with official answers and explanations."

Tatsuya Sakuya's words landed like a bombshell.

"If you thoroughly master the question types, formulas, and topics covered in these papers, and study hard over the next few weeks, I believe all of you can pass."

The classroom erupted.

"Actual exam papers?"

"You've got to be kidding. How could anyone get hold of those?"

"They have official answers and explanations? Then if we memorize them, we definitely won't be expelled, right?"

The students of Class 1-D saw a lifeline. With the threat of expulsion hanging over them like the sword of Damocles, this was Zeus's Shield.

While the class was still reeling and clamoring, Karuizawa Kei, seated at the center of the girls' group, was the first to stand.

She spoke with unmistakable force.

"What Shiba brought us is what can actually keep everyone safe, isn't it?"

Karuizawa Kei glanced around at the girls near her, her tone leaving little room for disagreement.

"If we can't even avoid expulsion, points won't mean a thing. Of course we girls should support someone who can actually lead the class."

Following Karuizawa Kei's lead, Maya Sato, Matsushita Chiaki, and the other girls nodded in agreement.

Not only that, Kushida Kikyou, seated in the middle rows, joined in.

"I think Shiba is amazing too~. He got everyone such valuable study materials. It's really reassuring to know he's looking out for us all."

"Hirata is very kind, but Class 1-D is facing the threat of expulsion right now. With Shiba at the helm, we'll have a better chance of getting everyone through the midterms~"

Beside the podium, Chabashira Sae tapped the blackboard, cutting through the uproar.

"All right. That concludes the candidates' speeches."

Chabashira Sae took a black ballot box from beneath the podium and placed it at the front of the desk.

"The rules are simple. Each of you has one vote. Ballots are anonymous. Write down the name of anyone you support and place it in the box."

"Whoever receives the most votes will officially become Class 1-D's class secretary and have the final say in guiding major class decisions going forward."

"Voting begins now."

Five minutes later, everyone had cast a ballot.

In front of the whole class, Chabashira Sae slowly opened the ballot box and began counting the votes for each candidate.

"All right. I'll announce the results now."

Today I read some more Classroom of the Elite fanfiction and reviews, and I realized my pacing really might be a little slow.

I reread my own work too, and it did feel a bit padded. The main plot is moving slowly, though what I'm posting now was written in advance.

To pick up the pace, I might post three chapters a day sometimes, depending on how much I manage to write. I usually like to keep a backlog of ten thousand words.

You can leave suggestions on the previous chapter, or comment here. Consider this my attempt to get more comments.