It all started last night.
After sending Horikita's little sister away, Horikita's older brother gave Shirogane a task worth 1 million points.
The task wasn't exactly hard, but it wasn't simple either.
Because during Horikita's sister's long explanation, it became clear that Kushida's attitude toward her was strange.
As her brother, Horikita Manabu paid attention to that.
If the D-Class teacher was targeting his sister and planned to make her give up on moving up a class, she'd become useless — a discarded piece. That's when they'd abandon her.
So this was also a way to protect her.
But Kushida is her classmate.
Since Horikita Manabu is both the student council president and a senior, it's not convenient for him to handle first-year matters, so he gave the job to Shirogane.
The request was simple:
Find out why Kushida is so fixated on Horikita Suzune, and try to solve it.
Shirogane wasn't in the same class as either Horikita or Kushida, and Kushida was also part of his assigned task. After thinking it through, Shirogane decided to keep a close eye on Kushida Kikyo.
In other words, he planned to bring her into the student council.
Since Horikita Manabu is also in the student council, that meant he would be able to watch Kushida as well.
So,
This plan came together perfectly.
After getting back to his dorm, Shirogane messaged Horikita Manabu, and the student council president replied right away.
Permission granted.
That's the reason Kushida was invited to join the student council.
Of course,
Shirogane was aiming to become the next student council president himself, so getting one task done and making progress on another was a good thing.
So, if he could use Kushida to reach out to the top students in Class D, and ask them to help teach others, that would be a great move too.
…
Ten more minutes passed.
Shirogane took out his phone to check the time, then started moving.
Today was the day he would officially start his duties in the student council.
It was also the day Kushida, the new student council member, was supposed to show up for the first time.
Since Shirogane was the one who recommended her, they were going together.
He took out his phone and saw a message from Kushida about meeting up, so he got moving.
[She still doesn't trust you.]
That comment came from the system's narrator voice analyzing Shiina.
But now wasn't the time to play around with Shiina anymore.
Heading outside and down the stairs, it didn't take long for Shirogane to spot Kushida, who seemed totally focused on the small blackboard that showed the class points for the four first-year classes.
Kushida had short blonde hair and looked really cute, both in looks and posture.
"Are you checking the class scores?"
Shirogane said as he walked up behind her.
"Yeah, it just feels like our class is really falling behind."
Kushida said that.
But she was being nice about it.
It wasn't just falling behind—it was more like, if the leaders of Class D didn't step up soon, the class would completely lose the chance to compete. Worse, without enough money for daily needs, students would start dropping out little by little.
No one even wanted to imagine what life in Class D might turn into.
But since Kushida was here now, it was time to start talking to her.
Shirogane actually thought pretty highly of Kushida.
Her social skills were seriously impressive. And right now, he did need her help with something.
"By the way, Kushida, how many students from my class have you become friends with lately?"
Shirogane suddenly threw out the question.
"Hmm… maybe 7 or 8? Wait, why do you ask, Shirogane?"
Kushida quickly looked at him with a cute and curious expression.
You had to admit, Kushida was really good at getting along with others. She wasn't just cute — she knew how to make herself look even cuter.
She also had a sharp sense of how people felt.
Like now, she was looking at you with those innocent, curious eyes, like she could only see you in her world.
That should be against the rules.
Shirogane always thought Shiina was already an incredibly beautiful girl. Spending time around her should've helped him build some resistance to cute girls.
That was one weird thing about this school — there were just too many pretty girls.
From first years to third years.
And the first years had the most cute girls — like Karuizawa from Class D, or the super-type like Sakayanagi.
Then there were people like Ichinose and Kushida too.
Of course, there was also Horikita.
But with Horikita...
Shirogane remembered seeing Horikita's little sister last night and feeling completely calm inside.
Still, he couldn't deny Horikita Suzune was really pretty. So he figured maybe being around Shiina a lot had helped him get used to it.
Turns out that wasn't true at all.
But it's not like Kushida's charm was overwhelming. It's more that, at the same level of cuteness, she knew how to read your mind and play her cards right.
Same with Horikita.
If Horikita ever showed a totally different side of herself… maybe that'd shake him a bit too.
"Abandon,"
Shirogane said.
"Huh?"
Kushida looked confused.
"Sorry, I say random English words when I get nervous. Helps me calm down."
Shirogane explained.
"After all, Kushida, you're a cute girl."
"Oh."
Kushida just gave a small nod, still looking pretty relaxed.
"So, do you have a list of people you'd like to meet up with?"
Shirogane had already calmed down as he spoke again. "I can give you the names of students in my class. I can even help set up the meetings for you."
"Hm?"
Kushida looked a little confused.
"Didn't you say before that you wanted to be friends with everyone?"
"And last month, you already got to know students from the other three classes, right? But it's my class you haven't really connected with yet."
Said Shirogane.
"Uh… wait, are you saying being friends with everyone bothers you?"
It seemed Kushida misunderstood.
"Not at all,"
Shirogane replied.
"I just hoped that once you get to know my classmates better, you could help me put together a report on the students in my class."
"You know we're in a class competition right now. It's really important to know both yourself and your opponents. I already understand the other classes, so now I need to better understand my own."
Shirogane explained.
"…?"
Kushida looked surprised. He's asking for info on his own classmates—shouldn't he already know them?
But then she thought back to how Horikita, Shirogane, and Shiina had all asked her to fill in the gaps for the other classes… And now, the last class too?
What did she do to get stuck helping all three of them?
"Okay, sure."
Kushida finally smiled and agreed.
But—
[Kushida Kikyo doesn't trust you either. At first, she thought maybe you were into her and wanted to get closer because of that. But now she thinks you just saw her talent and want to use her for work.]
[Because seriously, no guy would make someone they like work this hard.]
Just then, the little voice in Shirogane's head—his narration system—spoke up.
And it sounded just like what Shiina had said before.
Alright. Time to stop talking.
Girls really are hard to figure out. Whether it was Kushida or Shiina, Shirogane wasn't exactly lying to either of them, and yet neither believed him.
So Kushida and Shirogane stood together by the first-year bulletin board.
But then—
"Aren't you going to the student council now?"
Kushida looked around.
"Let's wait a bit. There's one more first-year joining us."
Shirogane said.
Ah.
That part Kushida understood. Yesterday in the gym, the student council president announced that Ichinose was joining and had even been made a public morals officer.
From that point of view… she had been recommended by Shirogane too, but only got assigned general duties. General tasks < Public morals officer.
That comparison made Kushida feel a little embarrassed.
So the two of them waited there together.
"Sorry to keep you waiting~ Kushida, and you too, Shirogane—W."
They hadn't been waiting long when someone called out to them from behind.
The voice sounded just as cute as the person it belonged to.
It was Ichinose Honami.
She was the leader of Class C, and someone Horikita Manabu had personally acknowledged by making her a member of the Public Morals Committee. Her social skills were just as good as Kushida's. On top of that, the two of them were friends.
Maybe because she thought she was the last one to arrive, Ichinose came running toward them in a hurry.
She wasn't very athletic, so she was out of breath after running—but even that made her look even more charming.
She came up to them.
"Hey, Ichinose-san."
"Hi, Ichinose."
Shirogane and Kushida both greeted her.
"Hmm… I know it's unlikely, but from the back, you two looked really close while talking just now… don't tell me…"
Ichinose looked surprised. "Don't tell me you're Kushida's boyfriend, Shirogane?"
"No way~"
Before Shirogane could say anything, Kushida laughed and shut it down right away.
She smiled while answering.
It was clear she meant what she said.
"Oh, I thought maybe…"
"Definitely not—"
Kushida was quick to deny it.
Even though Shirogane hadn't said anything or had any feelings for Kushida, getting turned down like that in front of others still stung a little.
It wasn't like he liked anyone right now.
But that didn't mean he was completely hopeless.
The reason he brought Kushida into the student council in the first place was to keep a close eye on her, watch her odd behavior, and carry out the task Horikita's brother gave him.
Back when he was talking to Shiina about Kushida, Shirogane had even said they could get the Class D honors student to tutor others for a pretty low cost.
But now—
He felt like that money could just as well go to Kushida's class instead.
So he said, "By the way, Ichinose, after we finish today's student council meeting, are you free?"
"Huh?"
Ichinose Honami blinked. "Wait… are you asking me out?"
"If that's how you want to take it, that's fine too."
"...Hmm…"
Ichinose looked away for a second.
"Sure, I'm free."
She smiled.
But if she said yes, then most people probably would too.
Kushida was very popular and had lots of friends. Ichinose Honami was the same.
People with similar personalities are often drawn to each other, so as long as you don't cross her bottom line, she'll likely say yes to most things.
…
So the three of them headed to the student council together.
Today was a meeting between the old and new student council members.
Unlike the last two times he came, when Shirogane pushed open the poorly soundproofed student council door this time, he saw the upperclassmen inside.
There were 10 people in total.
Student Council President Horikita Manabu, Vice President Nagumo Miyabi.
Secretary Tachibana Akane.
There were three treasurers, one of them being Kiriyama-senpai.
There was one general affairs member—a senior girl.
Then there were six members of the Public Morals Committee, including the committee leader.
Except for the Public Morals members who sat quietly, the others had been busy with their own tasks before Shirogane opened the door.
Now,
"Looks like everyone's here,"
Horikita Manabu said.
"These three are the new first-year students joining the student council this year."
"You've all probably seen Shirogane Miyuki yesterday. He'll be serving as secretary."
"Next, Ichinose Honami has joined the Public Morals Committee."
"And finally, the proposal from Shirogane yesterday."
With that, Horikita introduced Kushida.
"Shirogane recommended Kushida Kikyo from Class 1-D. After reviewing her ability, I've assigned her to general affairs."
But the others looked at Shirogane in surprise.
Because...
The president gave someone a spot in the student council just because Shirogane recommended her?
Even though the president is in Class 3-A, only he and Secretary Tachibana Akane are from Class 3-A.
In other words, the president has always accepted people into the student council based purely on their ability.
And now—
He agreed to let in another first-year.
Are this year's freshmen really that impressive?
"Well, it's great to have more girls joining. It makes the student council more lively,"
Vice President Nagumo Miyabi said cheerfully, looking pleased.
For Nagumo, having more first-years join just proved that President Horikita really was trying to give Shirogane more support.
So, President Horikita really was planning to pressure him into stepping down.
But even now—
Shirogane's choices weren't bad at all.
First, there was Ichinose, the underclassman with a sweet and cute look, even though she was only a public morals committee member.
Then there was this student named Kushida. Back when he looked through the first-year student records, he had already noticed her picture—she looked nice. But in person, she was even cuter than her photo.
Just one smile from her could make your heart feel light.