So,
either it was their own decision, or they did not inform his siblings.
Still,
just to confirm one more thing, Chihiro sent a voice from his mind not to
Chisato but to another person.
『Um,
Hazuki-senpai. Did you know there's a new candidate for the student council?』
『Yes. We
were talking about keeping Izumi kun in the dark because it sounds interesting』
I knew
it.
The
mastermind is now self-evident without even asking.
Chihiro
sighs and ends the conversation by thanking Marika in his mind.
Then,
he looks back at Maisaka and the others standing by.
「Well,
Maisaka. Can I ask you to make a speech in support of me?」
「Yes. I
knew you would. Yuse is also a candidate, and Shiramine seems to be talking
about fairness first」
They
were looking at the list of candidates for the public morals committee and
arguing with each other.
...Somehow,
the number of speeches to support the candidates has decreased a lot.
**a
* * *
「I'm
sorry, Chihiro-sama. It was just this morning, and I didn't have time to tell
you」
「Okay.
That sounds like something Lucille-senpai would do」
In the
living room when he got home.
Maria
told him that, as expected, Lucille was the mastermind.
This
morning, when she was with Hana, they ran into each other by chance, and after
chatting for a few minutes, Lucille decided on her candidacy.
It was
more of a recommendation than a candidacy.
「That's
fine. It won't be a problem for Izumi-kun」
Hana,
dressed in long-sleeved clothes, said from the side.
She has
been staying in the apartment for a while now, and has moved some clothes from
her residence to her. It has become a common sight to see her in the living
room.
「Yes,
that's right. I think it would be very helpful for Nii-san if the two of you
would join the student council」
The
one, who said this, is Chisato in a dress.
She is
sitting on Suzu's chair, who has not come home yet, with illusion.
「...Well,
yeah. Chisato is right. It's good to have someone you know」
Although
there has been no attack so far from [Absolute] led by Maria's brother, Kaito,
Chihiro's surroundings have been somewhat noisy.
So, if
he has a friend who knows him well, it is easier to cope with various
situations.
Maria,
who has a lot of patience and is an M, is the secretary, and Hana, who has a
lot of patience and is a bit of a nag, is the accountant.
It is
also a coincidence that both of them were members of the committee of the
school festival.
Then, a
giggling voice comes from behind.
「Ah. I
think Master might be able to rule the student council of our school」
According
to what is known, Shibatsuru Academy in Sapporo is under Kaito's control.
In a
sense, it makes sense to do something similar at Shibahou Academy as a
countermeasure.
「But I'm
not so optimistic about that either」
Chihiro
looks back with a wry smile.
Riko,
dressed in a maid's uniform and a choker, is standing diagonally behind
Chihiro.
Riko
herself was acting in a strange way, as she had been insisting that a maid
should not sit down without a reason.
She had
been spending more and more time standing in her daily life, claiming that it
was a training to act like a maid.
Apparently
she meant it as a joke, Riko smiled at him.
「When
everyone is busy, it seems like I'm the only one who is left out. Maybe I
should run for office too?」
「It's
not a done deal yet」
Maria
shook her head calmly.
「Besides,
I'm asking you to take care of the housework, aren't I?」
Since the
other members have been busy with the school festival, Riko has been doing most
of the housework recently. The number of people in the group has been
increasing, so the workload must be quite heavy.
Riko
nodded.
「I see.
Well, I like cooking and stuff, so it's okay」
From
there, they moved on to the topic of support speeches.
If
Maria and Hana were candidates, at least three people, including Chihiro, would
be needed.
Although
it is not prohibited by the rules to have one person support more than one
candidate, it is better not to do so, considering the impression of the students
who will vote for the candidates.
**b
「Suzu-san
can't do it, can she? So, what are you going to do, Nii-san?」
「Hmm...
I guess so. I can't ask Yotsuba either」
She is
supposed to support Lucille.
With
the backing of the former president, and having been vice-president herself,
Lucille is almost certain to win.
Riko
nods her head after thinking about it.
「Shall I
support Maria? Maybe Aika can support Master」
「Takatsuki-san,
am I not being taken into consideration?」
「You
see, Mishuku-san has friends in A class, don't you?」
Hana
was astonished and answered "Yes, I do".
「*Sigh*
I'm sorry, I wish I could help you」
「No,
it's good enough for me to hear you say so」
Chisato's
shoulders drop apologetically, and she hurriedly smiles.
「What,
this difference in treatment?」
Riko
muttered something, but to be honest, the feeling was mutual.
So Riko
supports Maria, and Hana supports her classmates in Class A.
After finishing
helping in the infirmary, Chihiro talked to Aika again,
「Yeah,
it's fine, Chihiro-kun」
She
gave her approval with surprising ease.
Although
Chihiro felt bad for asking Aika to do it, she shook her head and said,
"It's not that big of a deal".
After
that, she turned a slightly stoic gaze on Chihiro.
「If
anything, I'm not happy that you asked someone other than me first, Chihiro-kun」
「Ugh,
sorry」
Just in
case, she didn't go as far as to ask for it, but that's good.
And so,
the announcement period for the election of student council officers ended in
the blink of an eye.
Perhaps
it was because most of the candidates were existing members of the student
council, or perhaps it was because many students were not busy. In the end,
there were no other candidates for any of the positions, and the election was
decided to be a vote of confidence.
To tell
the truth, Chihiro was relieved to know that he did not have to fight against
other candidates.
Of
course, the vote is not so easy - it must be approved by two thirds of the
students in the school.
「Don't
worry. Anyone who would vote for you must think you are a strong candidate.
Besides, if you have a problem with it, why don't you run for office yourself?」
Suzu,
an alumnus who has experienced an election before, was nonchalant as she said
so.
Thankful
for her encouragement, Chihiro worked with Aika, Maria, and the others to prepare
a draft of his speech.
Finally,
the day of the election arrived.
