Chapter 44: I’m Sure They’ll Cry Tears of Joy!
However, Kazuma was racking his brain over what to do.
He’d been confessed to in the heat of the moment, but the affection from the two of them was a very welcome thing.
While Kazuma, who had always wanted a girlfriend, was happy, he also harbored extremely complicated feelings.
After all, as he’d just mentioned, he’d thought they admired him as underclassmen, but he’d never imagined they admired him as a member of the opposite sex.
Be that as it may, with four women who liked him right in front of him, he couldn’t help but grin.
“Gehhehhehhe…”
“Kazuma. You should consider the time and place.”
Souji chided Kazuma, thinking that was truly inappropriate given the atmosphere.
“Ah, yes… Well, I often said I wanted a girlfriend, but when I actually get confessed to like this, I don’t know what to do, you know!”
“Didn’t you just accept a proposal in a split second?”
“That’s true! Senpais! If you’re okay with me, let’s go out!”
There’s such a thing as mood, you know.
One would hope he wouldn’t decide so lightly based on the mood of the moment, but that was Kazuma for you.
The other male students in the student council room went “Oh, geez…” covering their faces with their hands, pretending not to see Kazuma’s blunder.
“Kazuma. I think that’s what’s wrong with you.”
“Did I… mess up?”
“Yeah. I think it was the worst.”
“I-I request a do-over…”
Pointed out by Kaede, Kazuma tried to redo his response to Yukihime-senpai and Karin-senpai’s confessions, but they were completely exasperated and looked at him with disdain.
“…………Alright! For now, let’s pretend this conversation never happened!”
Since it didn’t seem like he could recover, Kazuma decided to sweep this whole matter under the rug.
Naturally, the four who had confessed their feelings to Kazuma looked dissatisfied, but they decided to accept it, not wanting to lose the affection of the person they were interested in.
“Well, this time it was like an accident… I’ll confess to you properly and formally someday,” Yukihime said.
“Y-Yeah…”
The atmosphere between them had become awkward, but the confessions were treated as if they hadn’t happened, and Kazuma escaped the predicament. And at the same time, he had also crushed the harem route.
The student council handover work was finished, and just when it seemed like they would dismiss, it was announced that there were still some business announcements, so Kazuma and the others remained in the student council room.
“Well now, Kazuma-kun has been decided as the student council president, but we need to decide on the remaining members too,” Hayato said.
“Eh? They haven’t been decided yet?”
“Well, that’s because it was the Student Council President Deciding Battle. The student council members are still undecided.”
“How do we decide them?”
“You choose, and then there’s a vote of confidence from the students. Well, they almost always get elected, though.”
“Then, Karin-senpai for Vice President, Yukihime-senpai for Secretary, Kaede for Treasurer, and I’ll concurrently serve as General Affairs!”
“Are you sure it’s okay with no other guys? If it’s all girls, it’ll be like sitting on pins and needles for you, you know?” Hayato asked.
“Taiga-senpai for General Affairs!”
With Hayato’s single comment, Kazuma abandoned the idea of a harem student council, and it ended up being a gathering of some of the most skilled individuals in the Seventh Esper Academy.
“The confidence vote can be done from the student council president-exclusive device you have, so you can do it right away,” Hayato explained.
“That’s super convenient! I’ll try it right now!”
And so, Kazuma operated the student council president-exclusive device and initiated the confidence vote for the student council members.
It was sent simultaneously to the devices held by the students, and all that was left was to wait for the voting to end; the results would then be automatically published.
“Awesome! Is it really okay for my first job to be this easy?”
“I think it’s perfectly fine. When I became president, I also chose from the students who ranked high in the Student Council President Deciding Battle, so I don’t think there’s a problem,” Hayato replied.
“Just out of curiosity, has there ever been a vote of no confidence in the past?”
“Yes, of course. For things like having the ability but a terrible personality.”
“Is that something that can be figured out?”
“It’s an anonymous vote, you see. People who distrust that person will band together.”
“Does that mean even the student council president can be forced to resign?”
“Naturally. It wouldn’t do to have someone with a bankrupt personality as student council president, right?”
“But then, doesn’t that make the Student Council President Deciding Battle meaningless? I mean, the strongest in the academy becomes the student council president, right? Even if they have a bankrupt personality, the system allows them to become president, but then to say, ‘Actually, you’re not suitable,’ isn’t that strange?”
“It’s not strange. Isn’t that something they do in the National Diet too?”
When told that, Kazuma couldn’t say anything back.
Ideally, the student council president is the strongest student in the academy, but that said, just as Hayato mentioned, it would be problematic if someone with a bankrupt personality took the role.
Since they are the representative and face of the academy, it’s natural that both character and ability are required.
Incidentally, Kazuma was surprisingly recognized as a student of good conduct.
He was certainly a bit of a clown and sometimes went wild, causing trouble for those around him, but strangely enough, he had never broken any school rules or laws. While the teaching staff often held their heads in their hands, Kazuma, who enjoyed himself to the fullest within the limited freedom he had, was genuinely acknowledged.
“Hmm. Well, it’s true they do things like no-confidence resolutions in the National Diet too.”
“Exactly. So, it’s not strange. Well, if the student council president is forced to resign due to a vote of no confidence, it causes a lot of trouble, though…” Hayato sighed.
“Is this something I’m better off not hearing about?”
“It’s tough for the academy, choosing a successor is a pain, and above all, the academy’s reputation drops, leading to reduced support from the country and fewer job opportunities, so it’s really, really tough…”
“That sounds seriously bad… Huh? But wasn’t the employment rate high this year?”
“It’s the highest ever. Especially with the National Defense Force, it’s amazing. The slots are fixed every year, but most of them are filled by students from the Seventh Esper Academy!”
The reason for the increase in enlistment from the Seventh Esper Academy was largely due to the disaster caused by the Humanoid Ibinom before the summer vacation.
Thanks to that disaster, the students of the Seventh Esper Academy were more voracious for strength than students from other academies, had a strong desire for self-improvement, and a powerful will to protect those important to them.
“I see…”
Incidentally, the representative members for the Academy Battle Tournament whom Kazuma had trained had become officer candidates. Since the National Defense Force valued ability over academic background, this was a natural outcome.
“Well, that’s enough idle chatter. First, let’s talk about the orientation training camp for the new and old student councils of each academy,” Hayato said, changing the subject.
“Oooh! I’ve been waiting for this!”
“Kazuma. Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s going to be that much fun,” Souji-senpai interjected.
“Eh…? What do you mean by that, Souji-senpai!”
“It’s a training camp to deepen ties between the new and old student councils of each academy, but it’s held in the area of the academy that won the Academy Battle Tournament. You understand what that means, right?”
“So, you mean it’s going to be held here in the Seventh Area!?”
“That’s right. You were probably thinking you’d get to go on a trip or something, but unfortunately, it’s somewhere in the Seventh Area. Though, you do have the authority to choose the training camp location,” Souji-senpai explained.
“Eh!? Seriously!?”
“Yeah. I was going to tell you that too, but Souji beat me to it,” Hayato added with a smile.
Hearing Souji-senpai and Hayato’s words, Kazuma’s face lit up as if he’d received a revelation.
Naturally, Momoko, who was still in the student council room, saw Kazuma’s expression, and though a bad feeling crossed her mind, she couldn’t stop him and silently offered a prayer for the student council members in her heart.
“(If I have the right to choose the training camp location, doesn’t that mean it doesn’t have to be in the Seventh Area!? If there’s no precedent, I just have to make one! Worst case, if I ask Ema-san, it’ll work out somehow!)”
Kazuma was the type to use anything and everything at his disposal.
He decided to involve Ema-san, the Prime Minister, also known as the long-suffering man, who would likely exert the maximum power among all the assets Kazuma possessed.
“(No, but wait a minute? It’s winter now. If we’re going somewhere, I want to have fun at a spot overlooking a beach! Hawaii or Guam…! Come to think of it, both of those places have become Ibinom lairs!)”
Both were once world-famous tourist destinations, but due to the Ibinom invasion, they were abandoned, contaminated, and have now become Ibinom lairs, a situation where no country can approach them or carelessly intervene.
“(Maybe I’ll call Stephen later. No, Ema-san first, perhaps? But I did Stephen a favor before, so maybe I can get him to help liberate Hawaii. Let’s do that! That’s a great idea! If we reclaim Hawaii from the Ibinom, America will surely be overjoyed!)”
In Kazuma’s mind, an imaginary Stephen was shedding tears and raising both hands in celebration.
Convinced of this future, Kazuma nodded repeatedly, smiling to himself in satisfaction.
Among the students who found Kazuma, who had suddenly fallen silent only to start grinning broadly, rather unsettling, Momoko, who was reading his mind, hurriedly sent an email to Ema-san.