"Excuse me, have you ever seen a dead version of me?"
Haruto's words successfully made even the usually thick-skinned Chika freeze for a moment.
Then, she burst into laughter.
"No, that's not what I meant. It's just that Kaguya-san often talks about Haruto-kun. And I also saw you on the dating show before. Now that I finally get to meet you in person..."
"Haruto-kun, Kaguya-san, she—"
The rest of her words were completely muffled by Kaguya.
Kaguya's usually ice-cold, breathtakingly beautiful face was now flushed pink with embarrassment and frustration.
She was mentally scolding herself—why had she ever told this Earth menace about Haruto?
At the same time, she secretly glanced at Haruto, wanting to see his reaction.
To her surprise, Haruto was initially stunned but then seemed... happy?
"I see. So Kaguya-san talks about me in private. That makes me feel a bit honored."
Hearing this, Kaguya's blush deepened, as if she had applied a thick layer of rouge, making her look incredibly alluring.
'Chika Fujiwara—best friend for life!'
Kaguya thought to herself, completely forgetting that just moments ago, she had wanted to get rid of this pink-haired menace.
After the lively exchange, Chika properly introduced herself to Haruto, and the two officially became acquainted.
Then, Chika excitedly said,
"Kaguya-san! Hurry up and get Haruto-kun into the student council! That way, we can—"
Before she could finish, Kaguya once again silenced her.
Bringing Haruto into the student council to spend more time together was originally Chika's suggestion for her strategy.
Unfortunately, back then, Kaguya didn't understand Haruto at all and had assumed he was just a scumbag who had stolen Ai Hayasaka away.
Plus, this idea had been delayed for over a year since Haruto had transferred to Hyakkaou Academy for his first semester.
Kaguya looked at Haruto.
"Haruto-kun, would you like to join the student council?"
Haruto tilted his head.
"I'm just an exchange student and will only be at Shuchiin for a year. Would that be okay?"
Kaguya firmly shook her head.
"No problem at all!"
Technically, it wasn't allowed. The Shuchiin student council held considerable power and wasn't meant to be entrusted to an outsider.
But Kaguya had a simple stance—her rules were the rules!
Haruto hesitated.
It sounded interesting, but he was concerned that joining might bring a bunch of troublesome responsibilities he couldn't shake off.
At that moment, Chika, having escaped Kaguya's grip, added,
"If you join the student council, you can use student council duties as an excuse to skip class whenever you want!"
Kaguya: !?
Veins appeared on Kaguya's forehead.
That phrasing made it sound like the student council was specifically created for skipping classes.
Haruto was the president of a foundation, a man who controlled a massive organization and wielded great influence.
In Kaguya's mind, someone like him would definitely be strict about rules.
'You fool! What are you saying?! I should just end you right now!'
However, just as Kaguya was thinking that—
"Deal. Please let me join the student council."
Kaguya was momentarily stunned. Then, without thinking, she hugged Chika tightly.
Chika looked utterly confused.
This big-breasted airhead had no idea that she had just walked on the edge of life and death twice.
Cough cough, well, just kidding.
-----------
Student Council Room.
After Haruto finished filling out the application form, Kaguya swiftly approved it and stamped it without hesitation.
"Welcome to the student council, Haruto-kun. From now on, you're the vice president of Shuchiin's student council."
She announced.
Haruto didn't mind at all.
The title didn't matter—he just wanted to be able to skip classes.
Meanwhile, Chika, who had been waiting excitedly for Haruto to finish the paperwork, suddenly pulled out a box of cards from who-knows-where.
Clearly, she had been planning this for a while and was eager to get Haruto to play.
When Haruto glanced at the box, he was slightly surprised.
Was that... Legends of the Three Kingdoms?
Noticing his gaze, Chika proudly patted the box.
"This is a card game I bought during summer vacation overseas. It's super popular there! But before now, the student council only had four people, so we could never play a full game. Now that you've joined, we finally can!"
Haruto twitched the corner of his mouth.
However, rather than the game itself, Haruto was more curious about the other two student council members.
So far, he had met many heroines in this world but had rarely encountered any male protagonists.
Just as he was about to ask—
The student council room's door suddenly burst open.
A girl rushed inside, looking slightly anxious.
Her hair was chestnut-colored, tied into low twin tails that draped over her shoulders. Her uniform was neatly worn, with a properly tied bow at the front.
She was petite, and combined with her proper uniform, she looked incredibly cute—yet her expression was serious, creating a strong contrast.
Haruto didn't recognize her.
As mentioned before, he had never actually watched Kaguya-sama: Love is War—he was just a casual observer who only knew Kaguya and Chika.
"Iino, what's got you so flustered?"
Kaguya was slightly displeased.
This was Haruto's first day joining the student council. If he got the impression that the student council was always this reckless, that would be a problem.
The girl in front of him was Miko Iino, the student council's disciplinary officer.
Miko glanced at the unfamiliar Haruto before turning to Kaguya anxiously.
"A third-year student has been constantly taking leave and leaving early since the beginning of the semester. Today, he skipped school entirely. We can't get in touch with his family, and according to his classmates, it seems like he got involved in gambling during the summer break."
"He's been leaving school early these past few days to go to gambling spots, and since yesterday, no one's been able to contact him!"
Hearing this, Kaguya's expression immediately turned serious.
Haruto couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
It wasn't the gambling issue that surprised him but rather…
Would a normal disciplinary officer really take this much interest in something like this?
Skipping class usually just resulted in a disciplinary record. Who would go out of their way to investigate it?
Kaguya stood up from her seat and asked Miko for more details.
Miko carefully explained the results of her investigation.
Clearly, this wasn't a minor issue.
Even Kaguya seemed unsure about what to do.
Although she controlled the Shinomiya Zaibatsu, their businesses were all relatively clean.
There were hardly any shady underground dealings.
As a result, even Kaguya, the noble heiress, was at a loss when it came to situations like these.
Seeing that Kaguya was uncertain, Miko became even more anxious. She pulled out her phone, ready to call the police.
Just then, a hand pressed down on her wrist.
Miko looked up and saw the unfamiliar boy.
"Don't panic. Let me ask around first."
Haruto said calmly.
Miko hesitated for a moment before lowering her phone out of instinct.
Meanwhile, Kaguya, as if finding a pillar of support, turned her hopeful gaze toward Haruto.
Haruto took out his phone and made a few calls. Before long, he put his phone away and said,
"Found him. I'll go bring him back now."
Hearing this, Kaguya and Miko were both stunned.
Meanwhile, Chika's eyes lit up with curiosity.
"A casino, right?"
Haruto nodded.
As soon as he confirmed it, Chika immediately became excited.
"I want to go too! I've never been to a casino before!"
Haruto's mouth twitched.
That's not a sightseeing spot!
At the same time, Kaguya quickly walked over.
"I'm coming too. If a student from Shuchiin is in trouble, as the student council president, I can't just stand by and do nothing."
Miko also spoke up. "I'm going too!"
Haruto sighed, rubbing his temples.
Bringing these three girls to a casino was bound to be a hassle.
But… oh well.
The four of them left Shuchiin and boarded a Shinomiya family car, heading toward the casino.
Come to think of it, this was probably the first official outing of the Shuchiin student council.
And yet, their first team-building activity was… a trip to a casino.
—
Inside the car, Chika looked at Haruto with sparkling eyes.
"Haruto, how did you find that student so quickly? Could it be… you're secretly a yakuza boss?"
Kaguya and Miko also turned to him with curiosity.
Especially Miko, her gaze carried a hint of suspicion.
Haruto's mouth twitched slightly.
"I just asked a few classmates. I was an exchange student at Hyakkaou Academy before. You guys know, right? Hyakkaou Academy… is famous for gambling. The students there know all the casinos inside and out. And Shuchiin students are considered prime targets, so it wasn't hard to get some intel."