Time flew, and a whole morning passed in the blink of an eye.
"Finally, some interesting classes. This morning really opened my eyes!"
Chiba Yeyou spoke with some excitement.
"Yes, there are actually so many ways to construct a self-acceleration spell, and each construction method is different. The activation speeds vary greatly, too. It certainly broadened my horizons."
Miyuki Shiba nodded in wholehearted agreement.
"Are you going to see your brother later?"
Chiba Yeyou reined in his excitement and turned to ask the girl.
"Yes, we're going to see the president in a little while."
Miyuki Shiba nodded.
"Aren't you going, too?"
Miyuki Shiba suddenly remembered that he was also a student council member, though she still did not know what position he held.
"Yes, I do need to go."
Remembering Mayumi Saegusa's expression that said he was dead meat if he did not show up, Chiba Yeyou actually smiled a little.
He had to admit, Mayumi Saegusa really was quite interesting.
"Shall we go together?"
Miyuki Shiba suddenly stopped, tilted her head toward Chiba Yeyou, and extended the invitation.
"I didn't expect you to be okay with me being a third wheel between such a 'loving' brother and sister."
Surprised by Miyuki Shiba's invitation, Chiba Yeyou then gave her a teasing smile.
"Of course my brother and I love each other!"
"But what's a third wheel?"
Miyuki Shiba first boasted proudly, then voiced her question. She really did not know what a third wheel meant.
"Someone who gets in the way of a man and woman's romance!"
Chiba Yeyou leaned closer to Miyuki Shiba and spoke softly into her ear.
"L-l-lovers? What do you mean?"
"W-what nonsense are you talking about?"
"But if it's my brother..."
Miyuki Shiba's face instantly flushed as red as a ripe apple. She became completely flustered, then slipped into a fantasy, oblivious to everyone around her.
"Pfft!"
"Hahaha..."
Chiba Yeyou simply could not hold it in anymore. Miyuki Shiba was even more entertaining than Mizuki Shibata.
"You! You were making fun of me!"
Interrupted in the middle of her strange fantasy, Miyuki Shiba looked at Chiba Yeyou resentfully, her cheeks puffed up in annoyance.
"Miyuki, has no one ever told you how cute you are?"
Chiba Yeyou reached out and pinched Miyuki Shiba's cheek. Her body stiffened, and she quickly slapped his hand away.
Still, Miyuki Shiba was not angry. The two of them were familiar with each other by now, and compared with her classmates, she found Chiba Yeyou easier to get along with.
"Are you coming or not?"
"If not, forget it!"
Miyuki Shiba stamped her foot and headed toward her brother's classroom.
"That girl really is pretty cute."
Chiba Yeyou chuckled softly and quickened his pace to follow Miyuki Shiba.
"Tatsuya, the student council president asked for me?"
"Are you sure you've got the right person?"
As the two approached Class 1-E, they heard Erika Chiba's incredulous voice.
"Yes, the student council president specifically said your name."
Tatsuya Shiba nodded firmly.
"But what does the president want with me?"
Erika Chiba was puzzled. She had not done anything that violated school rules.
As for being invited to join the student council, the thought never even crossed Erika Chiba's mind.
She was a Course 2 Student!
Someone the Course 1 Students affectionately called a "Weed"!
An invitation from the student council? Impossible!
Absolutely impossible!
"Well, I don't know either."
Tatsuya Shiba was also somewhat puzzled, but he could not be bothered to ask. The president would tell them herself when the time came anyway.
"Could it be about that?"
"Is she planning to settle the score now?"
Seemingly remembering something, Erika Chiba spoke indignantly.
After all, that was the only reason she could think of for the president to call for her.
"All right, stop overthinking it. You'll find out when you get there!"
Chiba Yeyou cut straight through Erika Chiba's speculation.
"Oh!"
"It's Chiba Yeyou and Miyuki!"
"What's this?"
"Did the president call for you two as well?"
Erika Chiba asked.
"Did you forget that Miyuki was invited to join the student council?"
"Isn't it perfectly normal for her to be called in?"
Chiba Yeyou had no intention of mentioning himself. He wondered what expression she would make if she found out this was all happening because he had recommended her.
"Oh, right!"
Erika Chiba nodded in realization.
"Let's go. We'll find out once we're there."
With that, Chiba Yeyou took the lead and headed toward the student council room.
The spacious student council room contained all sorts of equipment. At the long desk in the middle, Mayumi Saegusa was organizing documents, while the others sat around it, busy with their own work. The quiet room held only the rustling of turning pages and the sounds of pens making close contact with paper.
"Ahh..."
"Finally finished!"
After finishing her work, Mayumi Saegusa stood and stretched.
Thump!
A fresh stack of documents landed in front of Mayumi Saegusa.
"This is the unfinished work. Perfect timing, since you're done."
After placing the new documents in front of Mayumi Saegusa, Suzune Ichihara turned back to her own work.
"Huh?"
"There's still this much?"
Mayumi Saegusa complained miserably as she looked at the documents piled almost as high as her head.
"No, I need to get those talented people in here as soon as possible."
"The sooner we recruit them into the student council, the sooner they can learn how to handle everything and get to work!"
Mayumi Saegusa declared firmly.
"President, do you really think those two people Chiba Yeyou recommended will be suitable?"
Suzune Ichihara had not intended to get involved, but at the thought that they might be working together in the future, she did not want their inability to keep up with her pace to delay the handling of matters.
Suzune Ichihara's words also drew the other two girls' attention. Azusa Nakajo and Mari Watanabe stopped what they were doing and looked toward Mayumi Saegusa.
"Actually, I don't know either."
Mayumi Saegusa gave an answer that left Suzune Ichihara, Azusa Nakajo, and Mari Watanabe utterly dumbfounded.
"Then why did you..."
Mari Watanabe was utterly speechless.
What the hell was this?!
"But our junior recommended them, after all!"
"Chiba Yeyou is a monster who could easily beat Hattori into submission, after all. I think his words carry quite a lot of credibility!"
Seeing how stunned the three were by her words, Mayumi Saegusa smiled slightly and explained.
"Yes, the president has a point. Perhaps he has abilities we don't know about, or some other source of information."
Suzune Ichihara habitually picked up her little notebook and spoke as she thought.
Hearing Suzune Ichihara's words, neither Azusa Nakajo nor Mari Watanabe objected.
The emergence of magic itself was already incredible enough. Moreover, magic was still in its developmental stage. Not much time had passed since it first became known to society-not even a hundred years-so the appearance of some strange new types of magic would not be unusual.
"No, the reason I trust him is intuition."
Mayumi Saegusa's words left all three momentarily stunned again.
"How should I put it?"
"I just feel that our junior's recommendations should work out."
Mayumi Saegusa tapped her forehead with her index finger, then spread her hands and spoke to the three with a smile.
"Besides, we're only giving it a try. We have that person screening them for us anyway. If they don't work out, that's that. If they do, won't we have hit the jackpot?"
As Mayumi Saegusa spoke, she glanced at an empty seat to the side and winked at the three meaningfully.
"That could work."
Azusa Nakajo nodded.
"But both people Chiba Yeyou recommended are Course 2 Students. As Vice President Hattori said, there really is no precedent for Course 2 Students joining the student council, so both would have to join the Public Morals Committee. But the Public Morals Committee only has two vacancies. What about Shun Morisaki?"
Suzune Ichihara frowned at Mayumi Saegusa.
"That doesn't matter. As long as those two have the ability, there's nothing wrong with letting them all join."
Mari Watanabe did not consider it a problem.
"Well..."
For a moment, Suzune Ichihara did not know what to say.
"You mean that would violate the rules?"
Mari Watanabe immediately saw what Suzune Ichihara was worried about.
"Having Course 2 Students serve on the Public Morals Committee would already be a first. Since we're making an exception anyway, there's no point worrying about a little thing like that."
Mari Watanabe did not care about that issue at all.
"Yes, perhaps having those two join could also give all the Course 2 Students an example showing that the school does value them."
Mayumi Saegusa nodded as well, looking at Mari Watanabe in agreement and expressing her support.
"That's exactly what I was thinking!"
Mari Watanabe nodded too.
The biggest problem at First High School was none other than the conflict between Course 1 Students and Course 2 Students.
Originally, the school had introduced this rule to make it easier to identify talent, allowing those with outstanding magical aptitude to receive better training while Course 2 Students served as a reserve pool of talent. Later, however, it became a source of pride for Course 1 Students.
Strictly speaking, there was nothing wrong with that in itself. Given their different magical aptitudes, it was normal for Course 1 Students and Course 2 Students to receive different treatment.
But the problem lay with the Course 1 Students.
They all attended the same school. Receiving better treatment was one thing, but they also went around every day thinking they were inherently superior to Course 2 Students and looking down on them in every way. How could the others be happy with that?
Because successive student councils had not only ignored the matter but even shown a measure of approval, the conflict between the two groups had not eased with time. Instead, it had grown increasingly intense and could erupt completely at any moment.
This also caused her endless worry as student council president.
She did not want some headache-inducing incident involving resistance against oppression or a Course 2 Student uprising to happen during her term.
The arrival of Chiba Yeyou, Tatsuya Shiba, and Miyuki Shiba had given Mayumi Saegusa a glimmer of hope for resolving the conflict between Course 1 Students and Course 2 Students.
After all, Chiba Yeyou did not care about the distinction between Course 1 Students and Course 2 Students at all, while Tatsuya Shiba had no particular reverence for Course 1 Students either. Never mind Course 1 Students-he treated everyone the same way.
As the brother of the freshman representative, Tatsuya Shiba could hardly be too lacking. Even if he had shortcomings in magic, no one could say he did not possess talent in other areas. For instance, he could read magic sequences while they were being activated.
"Perhaps this will be a new beginning!"