"What?"
"Am I not allowed to know him?"
"One of his subordinates is on our school's Public Morals Committee, you know!"
Chiba Yeyou smiled.
"Oh?"
"Who?"
Tiffany asked with some interest. Anyone who could serve under Harunobu Kazama certainly wasn't some plain little cookie-at the very least, they had to have a filling.
"Mmm, this one has plenty of filling!"
Tiffany casually popped a sandwich cookie into her mouth, and her eyes lit up.
"I'm a Japanese citizen, after all. Are you asking me to betray my country?"
Chiba Yeyou looked at Tiffany with a smile.
"I'll pay extra!"
"Tatsuya Shiba. He's Special Lieutenant Tatsuya Ooguro, a strategic-class magician!"
Chiba Yeyou nodded.
"So that's how it is?"
"No wonder I couldn't find anything on this guy. He turned out to be a high school student!"
"They've kept a pretty tight lid on that information!"
Tiffany nodded.
The siblings chatted a little longer before each went to bed. The night passed without further conversation, though there were quite a few flowers.
The central auditorium of First Magic High School.
The discussion officially began. This was the only place that could accommodate the entire student body, and it was packed. Some had come to watch the spectacle, others genuinely hoped for better treatment, and still others wore expressions of disdain. No one noticed that a disguised white truck had already entered the school, after which a group of strange figures climbed out in a hurry and began dispersing to various locations around campus.
"Course 2 Students suffer discriminatory treatment compared to Course 1 Students on every level. Aren't you just trying to cover up the facts, Student Council President?"
"You just said 'on every level.' Could you specify which levels you mean?"
The exchange was heated right from the start. Both sides stood their ground, constantly searching for flaws in the other's arguments as they debated fiercely.
"Say, why do you two keep looking at me like that?"
Chiba Yeyou stood in the passage to one side of the stage with Mari Watanabe, Miyuki Shiba, Tatsuya Shiba, Erika Chiba, and Suzune Ichihara. They had a clear view of the verbal sparring onstage, but the Shiba siblings had kept studying him ever since they met up, leaving Chiba Yeyou rather puzzled.
"Sorry, it's nothing. Let's keep watching President Saegusa's debate."
Seeing Chiba Yeyou looking at her in confusion, Miyuki Shiba hurriedly changed the subject.
Tatsuya Shiba calmly turned his gaze toward Mayumi Saegusa onstage.
"Clubs that compete in magic, which have a higher proportion of Course 1 Students, clearly receive more generous budgets than clubs that don't compete in magic, which have a higher proportion of Course 2 Students. Isn't this irrefutable evidence that Course 1 Students receive preferential treatment in extracurricular activities?"
After the Course 2 Student representative finished speaking, Mayumi Saegusa took his place and continued with her rebuttal.
"These allocations are based on each club's results. Even clubs that don't compete in magic, such as the baseball club, which performed well at nationals..."
"This isn't a discussion anymore. It's become Mayumi's solo speech."
Listening to Mayumi Saegusa speak, Mari Watanabe couldn't help commenting.
"That point is easy to refute. Since Course 1 Students look down on Course 2 Students, clubs for Course 2 Students can't recruit talented members, so of course their results would be poor!"
"Besides, would the school dare not reward a club that performed well in the national baseball tournament?"
"That's a matter of attitude!"
"You...!"
Chiba Yeyou's words stunned them all. Good grief, it was a good thing he hadn't gone up there to help the Course 2 Students!
"Whose side are you on, anyway?"
Miyuki Shiba rolled her eyes at Chiba Yeyou.
"I can't really argue with what you said. We're also working to change the current situation. After all, all sorts of talented people have started emerging enthusiastically among this year's Course 2 Students."
Mari Watanabe looked at Chiba Yeyou, momentarily at a loss as to how to refute him.
"But getting back to the point, although we don't know what the other side is really after, we can't take the initiative. An exclusively defensive policy only sounds good."
"Chairwoman Watanabe, please try not to proceed on the assumption that we'll use force."
Hearing Mari Watanabe's words, Suzune Ichihara quickly reminded her. After all, they also had to consider the repercussions. Suzune Ichihara still hoped to keep the matter contained and resolve it on as small a scale as possible rather than let it escalate.
"However, I do not deny the discriminatory attitudes the alliance has pointed out. After all, terms such as 'Blooms' and 'Weeds' are expressly prohibited by the school, the Student Council, and the Public Morals Committee."
Mayumi Saegusa's statement effectively brought the conflict out into the open, prompting waves of exclamations from the audience. After all, saying such things in private carried a different significance from saying them on an occasion like this.
But this was also where Mayumi Saegusa was clever. Bringing the problem into the open to resolve it was far better than letting them pull little tricks in the shadows.
"Unfortunately, however, many students continue to use these terms."
"She actually dared to say that!"
Now, not only were the Course 2 Students stunned, even the Course 1 Students couldn't help discussing it aloud.
"However, it isn't just the Course 1 Students. Even the Course 2 Students themselves accept the label 'Weeds,' and even regard themselves as 'Weeds' in private, willingly accepting that name."
"What did you say!"
"How could anything like that happen?"
Mayumi Saegusa's words had clearly touched a sore spot among the Course 2 Students. Many stood up and loudly challenged her, but Mayumi Saegusa paid them no attention and continued his speech. Yes, the event had already become her solo speech!
"This deplorable trend is indeed running rampant throughout our campus. This divide in our thinking is the true root of the problem!"
Mayumi Saegusa looked toward those who had risen to loudly challenge her and voice their dissatisfaction. Her voice gradually grew louder, drowning theirs out.
"As this school's Student Council President, I have been searching for ways to eliminate this divide in our thinking!"
Standing not far from Mayumi Saegusa, Hattori Gyoubu couldn't help feeling somewhat ashamed when he heard her words, because the one with the most inflated opinion of himself was none other than him, the Student Council's vice president.
"She finally got to the heart of it. That's our president for you."
Chiba Yeyou nodded.
"When they willingly let themselves sink, no amount of calling will wake them. Only by ruthlessly tearing away their fig leaf will they understand what the facts really are."
The others looked at Chiba Yeyou, suddenly feeling that it was a waste of his talent not to have him give a speech onstage.
"However, I cannot solve this problem by creating new discriminatory treatment, because whether they are Course 1 Students or Course 2 Students, everyone is a student of First High School. The three years spent at this school are uniquely beautiful memories for every student."
The Course 2 Student representatives beside her looked like defeated roosters, their faces downcast.
Mayumi Saegusa stood at the lectern, seeming to glow all over. This was a perfect speech!
"I would like to take this opportunity to ask you all to listen to my wish. In fact, the Student Council has a rule that creates unequal treatment between Course 1 Students and Course 2 Students."
"Under the current system, every officer other than the Student Council President must be a Course 1 Student. This rule can only be amended at the general student assembly held when a new Student Council President is elected. At the assembly when I leave office, I will propose abolishing this rule as my final task as Student Council President."
"Since people's hearts cannot be changed by force, nor should they be changed through forceful methods..."
After this part of her speech, the applause in the hall grew even louder.
"Ha, looks like we won't need to resort to force."
Watching everyone applauding, Mari Watanabe breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'm afraid we'll have no choice but to use force."
Chiba Yeyou had barely finished speaking when several tremendous noises resounded throughout the auditorium.
Boom!