Soon after, when Honami Ichinose walked into the Vice President's office, Nagumo turned around in his swivel chair, pulled out a Student Council application form, and handed it to her, saying with a smile, 'I've arranged the position of Executive Committee Chairman for you.'
?
Ichinose was stunned. She asked tentatively, her voice laced with suspicion, 'Senpai, isn't this... a bit inappropriate?'
She had also been the student council president in middle school, so she had a very clear understanding of the weight this position held. Generally, the main body of the Student Council is composed of the following positions:
The core management: the Student Council President, two Vice Presidents, the Secretary, and the Treasurer.
Those in charge of supervision: the Disciplinary Committee Chairman, the Supervisory Committee Chairman, and the Executive Committee Chairman.
Those in charge of execution: Club Presidents, the Cultural Committee, the Sports Committee, the Public Relations Committee, etc.
In addition to these core positions, each committee has the right to recruit subordinate members.
However, considering the unique situation at the Advanced Nurturing High School, the student population is simply too small. The duties of subordinate members are mostly handled by school staff, so Student Council recruitment is essentially an open call for potential successors.
A case like Ryūen's, where he was given a management position immediately upon joining, could be considered a special exception. But for it to happen a second time, and so easily to her, Ichinose instantly knew something was wrong—very wrong!
Miyabi Nagumo seemed to guess her thoughts. He placed the application on the desk, leaned back in his chair, and propped his face up with one hand. 'No need to be so surprised,' he said calmly. 'I have high expectations for you.'
For a rare moment, in Ichinose's eyes, Miyabi Nagumo's voice was calm and refined, a far cry from his flamboyant demeanor during their first meeting. The girl prepared to listen carefully.
'Now that Manabu Horikita is about to step down, do you know what the existence of Kakeru Ryūen means for the future of the Student Council?'
'He's... an unstable element, I suppose...' Ichinose replied after a moment's thought, using a rather gentle phrasing.
Despite her angelic personality, Ichinose wasn't the type to be unable to distinguish between good and evil. On the contrary, she had a very clear understanding of it. Given the things Ryūen had done, that assessment was indeed a gentle one.
Miyabi Nagumo nodded with a smile. 'I will be the next Student Council President,' he said in a mild tone, 'and I don't want a character like that in the future Student Council.'
'My expectation for you is simple—defeat him, crush him. If he doesn't change his ways, then get him expelled. This is something only you, being in the same grade as him, can accomplish.'
'Consider the position of Executive Committee Chairman as my investment in you, my trust. I hope you won't disappoint my expectations.'
As he spoke, Miyabi Nagumo extended his index finger, pressed it against the application form on the desk, and gently pushed it forward, awaiting Ichinose's response.
Unsurprisingly, the angelic, pink-haired girl took the application. After signing it, she looked up with a radiant smile and said, 'Nagumo-senpai, please rest assured. I will defeat and change him, so that he can get along peacefully with everyone.'
...
Miyabi Nagumo's eyes narrowed slightly. After a moment's thought, he broke into a grin. 'Haha,' he said mildly, 'if you can do that, then all the better...'
...
The next day, as expected, the news of Ichinose joining the Student Council spread throughout the entire first year within half a day, sparking various discussions in every class.
Symon and Hiyori were also a bit surprised when they heard the news. They had expected Ryūen to seek them out soon, but unexpectedly:
For the next few days, Ryūen would disappear with his group as soon as break time started, clearly busy with something.
And just like that, two weeks passed in the blink of an eye. The midterm exams were only three days away.
Saturday morning, in dorm room 1201.
As the morning sun streamed through a gap in the curtains and onto the girl's cheek, the slumbering 'Hiyori Shiina' opened her drowsy eyes. Feeling the languor and comfort spreading through her body and nerves, she buried her head back into the covers and snuggled contentedly.
After a short while, noticing the body's breathing gradually soften, Hiyori giggled inwardly and said softly, 'Mr. Ghost, it's time to get up~'
Taking over the body and opening the eyes—this kind of wake-up service was part of her and Symon's daily routine. The downside was that the lazy, blissful feeling of waking up would be stolen. And what's more, Symon actually liked to sleep in...
A ghost who didn't need to sleep actually enjoyed lazing in bed. Hiyori Shiina couldn't comprehend it. After receiving only a perfunctory answer when she asked, the girl could only attribute it to something as ethereal as 'soul inertia.'
A little while later, feeling control of the body returned to her, Hiyori Shiina finally took over.
After a quick wash-up, Hiyori Shiina stood before the mirror and tied her hair into a high ponytail, which someone seemed to be particularly fond of. She changed into the school-issued red tracksuit, slipped on a pair of white sneakers, and left the dorm. Before long, she arrived at the sports ground, found an inconspicuous corner, and began her pre-run stretches.
About a month ago, starting from the day they encountered Suzune Horikita, Hiyori and Symon's morning run plan had been put on the agenda, and they had stuck with it ever since.
Aside from the very beginning, when Hiyori had asked for advice from 'Minori Kinoshita,' a member of the track and field club in her class, she always made sure to avoid the sports clubs and fitness enthusiasts to keep from being bumped into.
Don't be fooled by the fact that the Advanced Nurturing High School has fewer than 500 students in total. In reality, the track and field, basketball, and soccer clubs—the three clubs that regularly participate in morning runs—already had more than 40 members combined, more than an entire class.
Under these circumstances, the group of morning runners at the sports ground was extremely large every day. Adding to that, the suggestion to go to the gym had been met with firm resistance from Symon, so the girl had no better option than to simply be careful.
After finishing a set of stretches, just as Hiyori was starting a slow jog onto the track, a somewhat familiar female voice suddenly sounded beside her:
'I haven't seen you before. You don't come here often?'
The speaker was Class A's Masumi Kamuro. The purple-haired girl, also wearing a high ponytail, was jogging alongside her, a look of complete surprise on her face as she glanced over.
Not long after the start of school, Kamuro had tailed and investigated Hiyori at Sakayanagi's behest. At the time, she hadn't discovered the girl's habit of morning runs.
Hiyori Shiina hesitated for a moment, then shook her head slightly and chose not to reply—it wasn't that she was being aloof, but that she didn't have the spare energy.
Three minutes later, Masumi Kamuro twisted open a bottle of mineral water she had just bought and, somewhat speechlessly, pressed it against the girl's flushed cheek.
'Thank you,' Hiyori said with a smile, taking the water and taking a couple of small sips. She let out a sigh of relief. 'I'm saved~!'
Kamuro averted her gaze, her words merciless: 'A ten-minute warm-up and a 400-meter run. How pathetic!'
'Hiyori, this girl seems to be a tsundere,' Symon chimed in mentally at the right moment, teasing with a laugh.
Showing concern through her actions but speaking coldly—if that wasn't a classic tsundere, what was?
Holding the room-temperature mineral water, a hint of amusement flashed in Hiyori's eyes. She didn't respond to Symon's comment, but instead invited the other girl to an open area and started chatting while doing post-run stretches:
'Speaking of which, I haven't seen Sakayanagi-san recently. Have you been taking care of her, Kamuro-san?'
'Who's taking care of her!?' Masumi Kamuro quickly denied, her tone urgent and defensive.
If Sakayanagi hadn't caught her red-handed during a 'cost-free merchandise transfer activity' at the convenience store on the first day of school and blackmailed her, there's no way she would be working for her.
In short, she definitely wasn't taking care of her!
'Are you two having a spat?' Hiyori tilted her head and said with a smile, 'Remember to get along, okay?'
'I'd rather not!'
Masumi Kamuro pouted and said in a relieved tone, 'It's a good thing Kitō-san and Yamamura-san joined her side. One's a good fighter, and the other is good at gathering intelligence. I'm finally free. It'd be best if she never came looking for me again.'
'Is that so...'
Hiyori Shiina said, the amusement in her eyes nearly overflowing. She giggled inwardly and asked, 'Mr. Ghost, don't you think Kamuro-san is jealous?'
'Indeed. This girl is a little too cute.'
_____
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