“Still, if she’s that excellent, wouldn’t her mere presence help you get to Class A again?”

“Idiot. That girl’s finished as a human. In this year and a half, she’s contributed nothing to the class besides her own grades, she acts alone and then on top of that, she butts in however she wants. She’s like a foreign substance in the class.”

As Kiriyama-senpai clicked his tongue and trashed Kiryuin-senpai, he looked desperate to blame Kiryuin-senpai for why he fell to Class B. He looked so pathetic that I clicked my tongue without meaning to.

Even if it’s like that, hearing someone insult a senior I’m close to is annoying.

“Well, for someone saying that, you don’t really look like you have much ability either.”

“What, did you get mad because I insulted a senior you’re close to?”

“No, I mean, isn’t it true? Even if you can’t control Kiryuin-senpai, the remaining thirty-eight classmates should be on your side, so you can’t dump all the blame on Kiryuin-senpai after losing even while leading them. Honestly, you don’t look attractive as a man.”

“Do you think you’re qualified to judge my leadership? Class B right now is packed with underachievers and weirdos. With trash like that, there was no chance from the start!”

“As far as I know, President Horikita led his incompetent classmates by grabbing them by the collar and kept Class A until now, right? Even just looking at that example, Kiriyama-senpai, who looks down on teammates you’ve shared life and death with as incompetent and is trapped in inferiority, is clearly an incompetent leader.”

“Y-you insolent—!”

With my logical words leaving him with nothing to say, Kiriyama-senpai trembled and the other two also stared at me like they couldn’t believe it.

And apparently unable to keep watching, Katsuragi shot up to his feet.

“What kind of rudeness is this, Ayanokoji! Do you have no basic line you should keep with upperclassmen? Apologize to Kiriyama-senpai right now.”

“Pfft, did you feel some solidarity between incompetent leaders? Katsuragi Kohei-kun, who brings me half your points every month?”

“...No matter how confident you are in your ability, there’s basic courtesy you need as a person.”

“You really don’t get it. Setting age, race, gender and everything else aside, courtesy is something the incompetent must show the competent. Come to think of it, you failed the student council interview and now you’re trying again? Want me to help you a bit?”

“Help me? Who do you think you are—”

At the moment tension tightened, the student council room door swung open and the student council president Horikita and the secretary Tachibana-senpai entered.

“Ayanokoji, what are you doing here?”

“It’s nothing big, it’s about the student council secretary scout offer you mentioned before.”

At that, Katsuragi, Kiriyama-senpai and the other two seniors all froze with faces like ice. I made a relaxed gesture while enjoying their expressions.

“I thought about it and decided it’s better not to. If I join, the student council would obviously become mine and that’s a role that’s too annoying. How about you give it to Katsuragi here? He looks pitiful trying to set up a second interview because he’s unhappy about failing. He’s not as smart as me, but he’s polite, so he’ll be fine. Heh.”

Katsuragi must’ve felt humiliated seeing me casually hand over the officer position he wanted so badly like it meant nothing. He wouldn’t understand what he lacked compared to me for this situation to happen.

The student council president seemed to grasp my intent and smiled slightly, then sat down.

“You wouldn’t suddenly be interested in student council work, so did you come for personal reasons?”

“It’s about your younger sister.”

“I see. I’d like everyone except Ayanokoji to leave.”

Even now, Kiriyama-senpai still looked unable to accept it and started protesting at the student council president.

“P-President! What do you mean you recommended that rude girl as secretary—”

“Didn’t I say to leave?”

“I can’t leave! I don’t understand in the first place. Why would you try to recruit an Ayanokoji with personality problems while leaving proper talents like Katsuragi and Ichinose here? If it’s not a reason that makes sense, I can’t accept it! No matter how much Nagumo—”

“There’s a reason. I won’t take further questions. More importantly, I think this is the third time I’ve told you to leave.”

Crushed by the student council president’s presence, Kiriyama-senpai couldn’t speak further. As if there was no need to hear more, Katsuragi walked out first.

“If that is the president’s will, there’s nothing to be done. Kiriyama-senpai, I would like to ask that we treat the interview matter as if it never happened.”

His pride must’ve taken a serious hit seeing the student council president coldly drive him away while immediately protecting me. And really, for Katsuragi, this was basically his second loss to me, so I can understand how he feels. Compared to Katsuragi, I’m absurdly strong and perfect.

After Katsuragi left, Tachibana-senpai also exited through the open door. The other two seniors followed, then Kiriyama-senpai shot me a furious glare and shut the door. Honestly, it looked like a pointless underachiever’s resistance, so it wasn’t scary at all.

“Did you really need to mess around like that? You already have a lot of enemies, yet you’re increasing them.”

“President, you’re the one who’s too ruthless. Is that Nagumo guy really that amazing?”

“...So you did understand my intent.”

There are two reasons to reject someone who obviously looks talented. The first is nepotism. Given the student council president’s personality, that’s impossible. So it’s clearly the second.

An internal problem.

And inside the student council, if there’s someone who can oppose the student council president, there’s only one. The current student council vice president, a second-year boy named Nagumo who raised Class B to Class A early on. The student council president is holding him in check right now.

“I can’t tell you the details yet, but I couldn’t let talents like Katsuragi and Ichinose be influenced by Nagumo. Nagumo is dangerous. With most of the second-years already becoming Nagumo’s faction, I have to look for opposition among the first-years.”

“So you chose me as the leader of that opposition?”

“I judged that you could protect this school without being influenced by Nagumo.”

Hearing him say that is an honor in itself. Just hearing about it from Kiryuin-senpai didn’t really make it feel real, but with even the student council president saying this, Nagumo-senpai seems like someone truly formidable. More than anything, he’s like someone I’ll eventually have to fight while I’m at this school.

And since the three student council members who just left now know there’s a connection between the student council president and me, he could approach me at any time.

The more I thought, the more my head started to throb. I don’t care about the Class A competition or student council internal politics at all. As long as I can prove my ability by facing people I consider capable, that’s enough. Is that really so wrong?

“That went on a bit long. We’ll talk about this again later when there’s a chance. Now, what did you come to say about Suzune?”

Even after getting dragged into a pointless commotion, he hadn’t forgotten my real purpose. I adjusted my posture and told the student council president in detail about the rumors currently spreading about Horikita among first-years and Horikita’s current state.

After listening calmly for about five minutes, the student council president wiped his glasses and said.

“Your trial is cruel to the point of being excessive.”

“It’s not a trial I intended to create and it’s only ‘that’ much.”

“So you’re telling me to be careful because it could harm me too?”

“Of course not. I’m saying this because I think now is the right time for you to step in.”

“Oh? You want me to step in?”

The person Horikita needs right now is someone who can properly steady her mental state. As someone on the attacking side, I can’t get involved and I don’t want to. Which means her brother should step in from here.

And the student council president should be involved somewhat if I’m going to enjoy facing him.

“Right now, because of the scheming of those damned bastards who messed with Horikita, she’s isolated in her class. Today she didn’t even come to school because she’s ‘sick,’ but who knows if she’s really sick.”

“So you want me to go comfort Suzune or something?”

“No. I mean this is the perfect chance to help Horikita achieve real growth of heart.”

I held out Horikita’s bag to the student council president.

“Through preparing for this final, Horikita learned the importance of comrades, the satisfaction of achieving things together and how to treat others properly. Meaning, she probably isn’t the Horikita you knew before.”

“At least the Suzune I know was a lonely child who tried to solve everything alone. Can I really believe you?”

“I don’t think Horikita’s essence will change completely in a short time. But if even a small gap opens, then what follows is only a matter of time.”

At my words, the student council president smiled and took the bag I offered.

Either way, he’s still an ordinary older brother who can’t leave his own little sister alone. No matter how he acts cold, no matter how ruthless he pretends to be, he can’t let his precious little sister collapse so easily.

Just like how my older brother sacrificed his own freedom for me.

“I’ll trust you and go to Suzune.”

“I don’t care how you comfort Horikita. Whether she can push through this trial or not depends on Horikita.”

“I’m looking forward to it too. Whether Suzune can stand back up or not. As for me, I hope she does.”

“I hope so too. Because I hope that you, as a capable person I respect, didn’t shield your sister without any basis.”

“Is there anything else you want me to do?”

“One thing...”

I asked for something only someone holding the position of student council president could allow. The student council president approved my suggestion immediately and once it was confirmed, I stood up and headed for the door.

“Before you go, why not have a cup of tea?”

“There’s no coffee here. I don’t drink unless it’s coffee.”

“Then I’ll have to prepare it next time.”

It could look like the student council president’s thoughtful consideration, but it also meant there might be a reason to call me to the student council room again. I just hope I don’t get dragged into annoying things any more than necessary.

Horikita Suzune, I hope you stand up and make the right choice. For the sake of my battle with your brother, you have to grow. This is growing pain prepared for your growth.

Of course, if you can’t grow, I’ll bury you completely with my own hands.