Chapter 73: Sakayanagi Arisu, You're Really Hard to Deal With!
Class A had 988 points—a reasonable score.
As expected, Class B couldn't keep up. Even though they had been given the explanation on the exam, they lacked the discipline of Class A.
Thus, the gap between the two remained.
But Class C, which was originally Class D, was also impressive.
When the previous scores were announced, they had 480 points, and after twenty days, they still had 450 points.
That level of self-discipline wasn't far behind Class A.
Normally, this should raise some concerns.
However, after sending students to investigate, they discovered that Class C had simply eaten terrible-tasting mountain vegetable meals together and, traumatized by the experience, refused to risk losing living expenses again.
So, in the end, it was unclear whether this class was truly strong or not.
As Katsuragi pondered this—
"President Horikita."
Suddenly, Sakayanagi Arisu spoke up.
Because of her poor health, she was the only student sitting among those gathered in the student council office.
Or rather—
All of them had been summoned by Horikita Manabu for recognition.
After all, they had performed exceptionally well in the behavioral assessment exam.
Of course, they had the right to feel proud.
"So, since we performed so well, may I apply to join the student council?"
Her voice was soft, graceful, and pleasant to the ears.
Katsuragi immediately turned his attention to her upon hearing this.
"You may not"
Horikita Manabu coldly rejected her.
"The student council is not lacking members at the moment. While your initial performance upon enrollment was impressive, Class A has two leaders, which speaks to your lack of control. You can't even govern your own class, let alone expect to join the student council."
It wasn't unheard of for first-year students to join the student council—like Nagumo Miyabi, but that was in the second half of the first year.
Sakayanagi was trying to join after just one month—a foolish dream.
And so—
Sakayanagi Arisu was immediately rejected.
"And as for Katsuragi—"
Horikita Manabu also gave his evaluation.
"You and Sakayanagi have the same problem."
"As one of Class A's representatives, you are unable to fully control the class. Your abilities are not yet sufficient to join the student council. Furthermore, it has only been one month since enrollment, and you have not demonstrated any abilities that I find noteworthy."
"Heh..."
Despite Horikita's frank and blunt assessment, Sakayanagi Arisu simply responded with a polite, adorable smile, nodding as if in agreement.
However, Horikita noticed the disregard and contempt hidden in her eyes.
Why were there two leaders in Class A?
It was merely because she found it boring and allowed it to happen on purpose.
If anything, even if she did nothing, if she simply let Katsuragi act alone, he would keep losing, over and over again.
Katsuragi himself did not dispute the student council president's evaluation.
After all, Horikita was right—the existence of two factions within Class A was not a good thing.
In a way, Horikita was pointing out the issue for them.
Horikita Manabu's third-year Class A had never lost a single student in three years, had only one clear leader, and that leader was also the student council president.
The current first-year Class A was nowhere near that level.
However, Horikita was also considered the best student council president in history. According to available data, his classmates relied heavily on him.
Essentially, Horikita Manabu carried the entire class by himself. He was an extremely formidable individual.
That meant his standards were exceedingly strict.
With such a high bar, Katsuragi understood why his application was rejected.
Moreover, the fact that Class A had two representatives was indeed a flaw.
Two leaders meant two conflicting ideologies, and sooner or later, their differences would cause a split.
And such a division was not good for Class A.
For this reason, Katsuragi hoped that Sakayanagi would let go of her stubbornness and, like him, choose a more stable approach.
However, convincing her was difficult.
Especially considering that Yahiko had acted on his own and contacted Ryuen, nearly reaching a contract agreement involving Class C students.
But then, Ryuen made a massive miscalculation.
As a result, some of Katsuragi's supporters defected to Sakayanagi's side.
That meant he had lost a portion of his influence in Class A.
Katsuragi saw this as a bad sign—the factional conflict within Class A would only escalate further.
"Well then, President, may we take our leave?"
At that moment, a voice broke the silence.
It came from a boy from Class C, who had remained quiet until now.
He said, "Hirata still has club activities. Practice has already started."
"..."
Horikita Manabu turned his gaze toward him.
He saw that Hirata looked slightly embarrassed, but there was anxiousness on his face.
It seemed like he was eager to leave.
This was Hirata Yousuke.
One of the top students among the freshmen, he had joined the soccer club shortly after enrollment and was already a starting player.
Even Nagumo Miyabi, the vice president of the student council and a soccer club member, had mentioned Hirata's name multiple times.
However, Horikita had originally called for Hikigaya and Suzune to come to the student council for recognition.
Yet the ones who showed up were Hikigaya Hachiman and Hirata Yousuke.
Horikita Suzune was not present.
Did Hikigaya fail to notify her properly?
Or was there another reason?
Horikita had a rough idea.
Since Suzune was his younger sister, if she appeared in the student council office, her facial resemblance to him would likely reveal their sibling relationship.
That revelation would not benefit either of them.
So, Hikigaya had intentionally not brought her along.
This was, in a way, his means of protecting his sister.
"If you have other commitments, of course, you may leave," Horikita Manabu said. "However, Hikigaya, you must stay."
"Eh?"
Hikigaya looked over.
"There is a vacant secretary position in the student council. What do you think?" Horikita asked.
"President!"
A voice sharply interrupted—it was Tachibana Akane, who had been standing quietly until now.
Her expression turned anxious as she quickly looked at Horikita.
She was the current secretary—so if another secretary was appointed, would she be replaced?
"The student council is about to undergo a transition."
Horikita Manabu slightly furrowed his brow when he saw her expression, then said, "In that case, it is only natural to train the next batch of student council members."
"Yes, I understand."
I see.
Tachibana Akane sighed in relief internally.
However, Sakayanagi and Katsuragi were still present.
"Did the student council really send an invitation...?" X2
It was surprising. The two representatives of Class A had just been rejected outright by Horikita, but now, a student from Class C, the one who had previously damaged the camera, was being recognized and invited into the student council?
"..." Hikigaya.
Although Horikita had extended an invitation once before, now, he was asking in front of the two Class A representatives who had just been rejected.
This was quite an embarrassment.
But Horikita's actions would only make things more difficult for Hikigaya.
Hadn't he noticed how Sakayanagi was intentionally smiling, and how Katsuragi had begun to look at him more cautiously?
It was likely that they would carefully investigate him from now on.
At this point, Horikita seemed to be waiting for Hikigaya's reply.
"The members of the student council do seem quite impressive," Hikigaya said. "But I'm used to being alone and idle, so I think this position can be kept open. How about I recommend someone else for it?"
"Oh?"
Hearing Hikigaya's response, Horikita turned his attention to him.
Horikita was aware that Hikigaya's goal was also to be in Class A.
This school operated on a meritocratic system, with significant student council authority, and being part of the student council could be beneficial for promotion.
That was likely why Katsuragi had started submitting his application three weeks ago, once he realized this.
"I recognize your actions," Horikita said. "But I do not recognize the person you recommend."
"If you want to recommend someone, the only position I can offer is a disciplinary committee member," Horikita continued.
A disciplinary committee member typically checked the behavior of others, and at this school, that was probably the least important position in the student council.
As for behavior regulations, they were evaluated by the school itself.
Since the students were all boarders, there was no need to check them at the gates.
Therefore, such positions were more or less insignificant.
Moving from secretary to a position like that would indeed be quite a bad deal.
But…
"Then please keep it open for now," Hikigaya said.
He had not yet decided whether to join the student council.
Horikita's student council seemed somewhat off, so Hikigaya didn't think joining would be smooth sailing; instead, it might lead to being tasked with dealing with some troublesome matters.
However, Katsuragi had wanted to join the student council, and since the school was meritocratic, with significant authority in the student council, having a student council member in the class was beneficial for the class's progress.
Therefore, even though Hikigaya had rejected the invitation, he had not completely turned it down.
Choosing the right person, however, was difficult.
He knew Hirata was very busy, and Horikita Suzune… she was Horikita Manabu's sister. Having her join the student council directly might seem like Horikita or even Hikigaya were trying to use her as a weapon for other classes to attack.
So, that wouldn't work either.
What about Sakura?
She had been a witness in the Sudo incident.
But Sakura rejected to testify.
So, it wouldn't be a bad idea to give her a second chance.
However, if she were to join the student council, would she still need to report in? Coming alone might be too much of a burden for someone like her, who was shy.
So, picking someone was proving difficult.
That left Kushida.
But Kushida wasn't the type to actively work on class competition, so the position quickly became vacant again.
...
Since the purpose of the meeting had likely been to praise certain students, and Horikita had other things to attend to, everyone chose to take their leave.
Hirata rushed off to his club activities.
He had been strongly dragged here by Hikigaya.
This also reflected Hikigaya's lack of manpower.
Horikita Suzune couldn't be brought to the student council for now, and the other candidates didn't seem suitable.
In other words…
Was it really like this?
Was there a need for a reliable partner, one who would be more convenient than Horikita?
But...
"Hikigaya-kun."
Hikigaya heard someone calling his name.
It was Katsuragi Kohei, whom he had seen previously at the student council entrance.
He was the leader of Katsuragi's faction in Class A.
"Is there something?" Hikigaya looked over.
"..." Katsuragi. "No."
But Katsuragi shook his head and turned to leave.
Perhaps he was wondering why he had failed to join the student council, while Hikigaya, who had originally been from Class D, managed to be recognized.
Was it a mistake on Horikita's part, or had he failed to see through Hikigaya?
Maybe Hikigaya wasn't as weak as people thought.
But whichever side was at fault, it was Katsuragi's misunderstanding.
He simply hadn't seen through Hikigaya.
So Katsuragi left.
Meanwhile, Sakayanagi Arisu seemed to be making up for her classmate's rudeness.
The princess of the Sakayanagi faction in Class A gently pinched the hem of her skirt and gave a polite bow.
"That's truly remarkable, Hachiman," Sakayanagi Arisu said. "You've earned President Horikita's approval."
"After all, the president is a smart person," Hachiman said.
"You're quite straightforward," Sakayanagi Arisu remarked.
"Heh..."
Sakayanagi Arisu smiled slightly.
"Then may I ask, why not join the student council directly?" she asked.
"Sakayanagi, you know that I'm from a lower-class, and we're very short on points," Hachiman said.
"I see. So, what price are you willing to pay?" Sakayanagi Arisu asked.
When she first entered this school, she realized that it was a place where strength mattered, and points were the most important—anything could be bought with points.
Indeed.
If you want to join the student council, then buy it.
Pay to purchase a position.
But perhaps obtaining the price directly from the student council president might be more beneficial.
As for Hachiman...
"One million points, is that the price?" Hachiman said.
"..." Sakayanagi Arisu. "That's quite a rip-off. If it were the secretary position, maybe one million could work, but for just a lowly disciplinary committee member?"
Sakayanagi Arisu said, "About three hundred thousand would be reasonable."
Because if you're just a lowly member, you'd only serve as an informant in the student council.
It wouldn't have much of an impact—only the title of being in the student council.
In the competition between the two factions in their Class A, assigning someone to a low-ranking student council role is just for show.
Though she stated a price, Sakayanagi Arisu continued:
"It seems you've discovered that the student council has some troublesome issues or people to deal with."
"That's why you refused to join," Sakayanagi Arisu said.
"..."
You're too smart!
Hachiman once again realized that geniuses are a terrifying species.
So, if Sakayanagi Arisu were in charge of Class A, how would his class ever climb up?
Would the only hope be for their class to split, and then support Katsuragi to oppose her and prevent her from gaining power?
However, Hachiman hadn't yet figured out how to give the lowly disciplinary committee position to the Katsuragi faction.
Thus...
He returned to the class.
Because Horikita Suzune was waiting there.