The next day after school, the news that Ryūen had been appointed chairman of the disciplinary committee had spread throughout the entire first year. To celebrate, Class C went to the on-campus KTV for a party.
Since the party location was a bit unusual, the girls naturally had a choice; no one was forced to go if they didn't want to.
Hiyori Shiina was among those who didn't go. For a change, she didn't head to the library either. Instead, she returned to her dorm, changed into casual clothes, and went to the Keyaki Mall.
Standing before a full-length mirror with a pure white frame, Hiyori Shiina looked at the youthful girl in the reflection—with her bright, captivating eyes and graceful presence—and gently asked in her mind:
"Mr. Ghost, is this one okay?"
"Are you really planning to buy it?" Symon's feelings were complicated.
"You have to be direct about whether you like it or not," the girl said, her words carrying a hidden meaning.
"Alright, I do like it."
Having received an affirmative answer, the girl nodded slightly. After confirming the mirror's weight and making sure she could carry it, she turned and went downstairs to pay.
She followed the staff member all the way until the mirror was delivered to the dormitory building, at which point the girl maneuvered it into the elevator by herself.
As the doors were closing, the faint sound of a few girls complaining came from outside the elevator. The voices sounded somewhat familiar:
"Seriously, that Ryūen from Class C is obviously a delinquent, isn't he? Did the Student Council even investigate him?"
"Little Honami, I told you the previous failure definitely wasn't your fault. That Ryūen is proof of it."
"No, it's not that. My abilities are still lacking. Ryūen-kun is bold and decisive. That kind of initiative is probably what the Student Council values..."
The three girls in the hallway continued their conversation, soon rounding the blind corner and stopping at the elevator entrance, where their eyes met with Hiyori's inside.
Yume Kobashi's pupils quaked: "!!!"
Chihiro Shiranami shrank back: "..."
"Long time no see, Shiina-san." Honami Ichinose greeted her a bit awkwardly, forcing a calm expression as she said with a smile, "You didn't hear any of that just now, right?"
A glint of mischief flashed in Hiyori Shiina's eyes, and her tone became whimsical, "Ara, I did happen to hear what you were saying just now. You wouldn't want..."
She stopped mid-sentence, her voice trailing off abruptly. The girl's expression looked a little mischievous and cunning.
Ichinose tilted her head, a question mark appearing above it—she couldn't understand what that sentence meant.
Behind her, however, Yume Kobashi and Shiranami understood instantly. They exchanged a look, stepped up to Hiyori, and pleaded with feigned pitifulness, "Hiyori-chan, we're begging you, we'll do anything~"
Symon was shocked on the spot: "Wait, how did you guys get that so fast?"
Hiyori didn't respond to his comment. Instead, she showed the two girls the height of the full-length mirror behind her and said with a smile, "I can forget what just happened. If you could, just help me carry this into my room."
"Oh, is that all?"
Honami Ichinose let out a sigh of relief, puffed out her chest in a 'leave it to me' gesture, and said with a smile, "That does look like a big item. I'll help you."
Shiranami and Yume Kobashi high-fived in celebration, cheerfully agreeing. No one cared about Ryūen, who had just been badmouthed behind his back.
As the girls laughed and joked, the elevator quickly reached the 12th floor. The three of them helped Hiyori move the full-length mirror into her dorm room. After some discussion and gesturing, they finally set it up in the corner next to her desk.
With the main task done, Hiyori took a white fur rug from her cabinet, placed it in front of the mirror, and invited the three to sit. She then brought them a tray of black tea and said softly, "I'm so sorry, all I have is the black tea I brought back from the Tea Ceremony Club."
Naturally, none of the three girls refused. They each took a cup of black tea and sat around the rug, starting a little tea party.
Most of their conversation revolved around typical girl talk, usually initiated by the social butterfly, Yume Kobashi. The topics mainly came from the student forums, including but not limited to:
Rankings for 'Boys You'd Most Want to Date,' 'Boys You'd Least Want to Interact With,' 'Most Popular Girls,' and so on...
It was all stuff Hiyori had never paid attention to, so it was quite an eye-opener for both her and Symon.
Incidentally, in the 'Most Popular Girls' ranking, the number one spot was, unsurprisingly, Honami Ichinose. The top ranks were mostly occupied by extroverted girls; Yume Kobashi and Class D's Kikyō Kushida were also on the list. As for Hiyori... Hiyori was basically invisible in the library...
Symon found this completely incomprehensible and immediately commented that the guys must be blind. The girl herself, however, didn't mind at all and even had the presence of mind to comfort him in return.
The girls talked and talked until they ran out of things to say.
Eventually, the topic circled back to the biggest piece of gossip among the first-years that day, which was:
On what grounds did that Kakeru Ryūen become a disciplinary committee member!
When this topic came up, Miss Chihiro Shiranami became particularly agitated, repeatedly crying foul for Ichinose: "Little Honami is so wonderful, gentle, and kind, and everyone loves her. To not choose someone so great and instead make a delinquent leader a disciplinary committee member—what on earth is that Student Council President thinking!"
"Chihiro, you shouldn't say that..." Yume Kobashi tried to placate her with a sense of helplessness. No matter how much she wanted to defend Ichinose, she couldn't say such things in front of Hiyori.
Unfortunately, the 'innocent' Chihiro Shiranami didn't seem to consider that. She threw herself into Ichinose's arms, her voice dropping appropriately, "But I'm just saying what everyone knows. Little Honami works so hard..."
"It's okay," Ichinose managed a forced smile.
"You're lying. I can tell you're sad, Ichinose." Chihiro Shiranami hugged her, burying her head in the girl's chest as she spoke mournfully.
"..."
Hearing these words, Ichinose's mood gradually sank. Filled with doubt and confusion, she recalled a conversation she once had with Vice President Nagumo:
['By the way, your grades are excellent, you have no problem with communication skills, and you've even been a student council president before. So why were you assigned to Class B?']
Can't Class B rise to Class A?
['It's useless. No matter how hard you work from now on, someone from Class B like you will never gain the approval of Horikita-senpai. After all, you weren't a thoroughbred from the start.']
That's right. No matter how close to 'perfect' one might be, a flawed product is still just a flawed product. It can never gain true trust and recognition.
Honami Ichinose agreed with this sentiment from the bottom of her heart.
With the two of them sinking into a gloomy silence, the girls' tea party could no longer continue. For a moment, the room became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Just as Hiyori Shiina was wondering whether she should try to comfort her, someone's terminal chimed with a mail notification, breaking the strange silence. The girls all checked their terminals, and it turned out to be a message for Ichinose—
Miyabi Nagumo: Ichinose-san, come to the Student Council office now. I have something to tell you.
After reading the mail, Honami Ichinose didn't think much of it. She patted her cheeks to steel herself, then stood up with a smile to say goodbye to Hiyori.
Seeing this, Shiranami and Yume Kobashi had no intention of staying longer either and also got up to leave.
After seeing the three girls off, Hiyori Shiina locked her dorm room door. As she cleaned up the remnants of the tea party, she mused in her mind, "Mr. Ghost, do you think I'm being cold? For not defending Ryūen-kun, and for not comforting Ichinose-san."
Symon thought for a moment and gave an answer in a way the girl could understand: "Do you remember that book you read to me, The Long Goodbye?"
Hiyori Shiina paused at his words, then asked tentatively after a moment's hesitation, "It's a story about betrayal. Mr. Ghost, are you blaming me?"
In the past month and a half, this was the first time Symon had brought up a novel with her, and the girl was being so very cautious.
Unfortunately, Symon didn't notice this, and said in a calm tone, "No. My thought at the time was—someone trapped by their past is a tragedy in themselves."
Hiyori Shiina's violet eyes suddenly sparkled, and her cherry lips parted as she was about to speak, but then she heard Symon suddenly add:
"So, don't worry about all that nonsense. Can we make dinner first? I'm hungry."
"..."
After a moment of silence, the girl spoke with a hint of reproach, "Mr. Ghost, have you ever considered that there's a reason you can't get a girlfriend?"
"Hiyori, that was a little too aggressive."
"Baka..."
——————————————
Meanwhile—
In the Vice President's office of the Student Council, Miyabi Nagumo sent the message, set his terminal aside, and looked with a smile at the boy standing across from him. He spoke in a gentle yet undeniable tone:
"Later, you will submit your resignation to the Student Council. Recommend Honami Ichinose as your successor."
"I..."
The chairman of the executive committee was clearly unwilling, but after a moment's hesitation, he nodded and replied, "I understand."
So far, every second-year student who dared to defy Nagumo had left the school. Now in Class A, he had a bright enough future ahead of him; he couldn't follow in their footsteps over a single position in the Student Council.
Not to be questioned, not to be defied. Regardless of ability, regardless of class. Firmly eliminate anyone who dares to oppose him—this is Miyabi Nagumo.
Watching the chairman of the executive committee leave through the door, Miyabi Nagumo leaned back in his office chair, resting his chin on one hand, and quietly waited for Ichinose's arrival.
In his eyes, Honami Ichinose—with her unparalleled beauty and angelic personality—had always been nothing more than an exquisite vase, valuable only as a decorative object to have by his side.
However, the moment Manabu Horikita brought Ryūen into the Student Council, Ichinose, as the leader of the first-year Class B, gained additional value:
To become a useful pawn to pit against the mad dog chosen by Manabu Horikita.
As for whether giving the girl the trust she desired so quickly would cause her to slip from his control, that was not something worthy of his concern.
After all—compared to the opportunity for a direct confrontation with Manabu Horikita, Honami Ichinose was worthless.
...
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