Episode 22: I’m In!
Having safely made it through his morning classes, Kazuma was about to have lunch when he was suddenly summoned to the Student Council room via a school-wide announcement.
“First-year Combat Course student, Satsuki Kazuma-kun. Please come to the Student Council room immediately. I repeat—”
Kazuma, who had just spread out his bento, contorted his face in displeasure but reluctantly picked up his lunch box and headed for the Student Council room.
When he arrived at the Student Council room, the members he had fought alongside in the Academy Battle Tournament were all there.
That said, not everyone was present.
Only Hayato, Shiori, Yukihime, and Karin were there.
Kazuma, his face clearly showing his dissatisfaction, asked what they wanted from him right away.
“What can I do for you?”
“Yeah, well, I can clearly see you’re not happy about this, Kazuma-kun. For now, why don’t you sit down and we can talk?”
“If this is for something stupid, I’ll send you flying!”
“You’ve become so much more brazen compared to when we first met…”
When he was first called to the Student Council room, he still knew his manners, but now he was completely showing his true self.
Not only that, but his behavior resembled that of some tyrant.
Hayato wanted to caution him, but decided to let it slide, as dealing with a tantrum would be troublesome.
“So, why did you call me?”
“It’s actually quite important… Kazuma-kun, why haven’t you entered the Student Council Election Tournament?”
“Huh? Because it’s a hassle, obviously.”
“But you know that traditionally, the strongest student in the academy becomes the Student Council President, right?”
“Yeah, I do. So what about it?”
“So what about it… It’s a tradition, you know~”
“Don’t tell me you want me to become Student Council President?”
“That’s right. To be honest, you’re the most suitable. Not just in terms of strength, but you also have charisma.”
“So my overflowing leadership qualities have been exposed, huh…”
“Ahahahaha. That’s because there’s no leader I feel needs more support than you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean!”
For better or worse, Kazuma was the type of leader who charged ahead.
He was suitable as the type of leader who ran straight forward, showing the way, but he wasn’t particularly bright.
Therefore, he needed a lot of people working behind the scenes to support him.
Hayato hoped to make Kazuma president, with Yukihime and Karin assisting him, creating a perfect Student Council.
“Now, now, Kazuma-kun. Calm down.”
“The President is saying this for your own good, you know.”
“That’s right. The President is saying that since Kazuma-kun is a bit of an idiot, we should support him.”
“Yukihime-senpai, that’s the finishing blow, you know.”
“Eeeh!?”
Just as Shiori and Karin were trying to calm Kazuma down with kind words, Yukihime dropped a bombshell at the very end.
The intense destructive power made Kazuma’s shoulders slump in dejection.
“Well, it’s the truth, so you don’t have to be so down about it.”
“Emotional damage doesn’t just heal, you know? Did you know that?”
“Something of that level wouldn’t cause any damage, would it?”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
“Then it’s fine, isn’t it? Besides, if you’re going to talk about emotional damage, we have the same right. For example, during the Academy Battle Tournament.”
“Th-thump!!!”
“So there are people who actually voice their agitation…”
Being reminded of the obvious, Kazuma shrank.
The fault lay entirely with Kazuma.
As Shiori said, Kazuma had inflicted a lot of trauma on them during the Academy Battle Tournament training.
“Alright, alright. That’s enough for now. We’re getting sidetracked.”
Hayato clapped his hands, bringing the topic back on course.
“Getting back to it, Kazuma-kun, are you real~ly not interested in being Student Council President?”
“If I were still in the Support Course, I might have been interested.”
“That’s because you were aiming for the title of being the first Student Council President from the Support Course, right?”
“You figured it out! Shiori-senpai, are you an esper!?”
“We understand you to some extent, Kazuma-kun, so even we can easily imagine that, you know?”
“Seriously!? No, now that you mention it, my fetishes were exposed at New Year’s, so I guess it’s natural…”
As Kazuma gazed out the window with distant eyes, the student council members fell silent.
The girls felt particularly awkward since they had heard about Kazuma’s fetishes from Honoka, while Hayato sympathized with him as a fellow male.
“Ah~, ahem. In any case, Kazuma-kun, you don’t intend to become Student Council President, right?”
“Well, yeah, that’s right.”
“Then, I guess there’s no need to talk about how the Student Council President Authority can be used for certain conveniences.”
“Please, by all means, tell me about that!”
Hayato, who had prepared bait that Kazuma would likely bite, smirked as he saw him take it splendidly.
“Well then, perhaps I’ll tell you if you become Student Council President.”
“Wha! Weren’t you going to tell me now?”
“Because if I told you now, Kazuma-kun, you might not become president, right?”
“Mmph, that’s not…”
He couldn’t deny it completely.
The Student Council President Authority was an attractive prospect, but he didn’t know how effective it truly was.
If he learned about it now, there was a chance Kazuma wouldn’t become president.
If that happened, Hayato’s plan would be ruined.
Hayato was scheming to have Kazuma succeed him as Student Council President and liven up the Seventh Esper Academy.
“What will you do, Kazuma-kun? Don’t you want to know more about the Student Council President Authority?”
“Gr, grrr…”
He could argue that it was unfair, but it was clear he would be completely shut down.
All Kazuma could do was groan, as a meager form of resistance.
“…I want to know.”
“Fufufu. Well then, will you participate in the Student Council Election Tournament?”
“Alright. Though my victory is practically guaranteed!”
As if to get his own back, Kazuma put on a smug look, but Hayato’s smile didn’t falter.
Kazuma felt pressured by Hayato, who seemed inexplicably confident, and gulped.
“Don’t tell me you think I can’t win?”
“You should understand your own position, you know.”
“…A cute first-year?”
“What kind of thought process would make you think you’re a cute first-year…”
“Well, you are rumored to be cute among some of the girls, you know,” Shiori interjected.
“Eh!? Really?”
Information he hadn’t known came from Shiori’s mouth, and Hayato let out a surprised voice.
“It’s because your looks are good. The girls who don’t know you very well, Kazuma-kun, talk about you quite a bit.”
“Seriously!!!”
“You’re raising your voice louder than when we talked about the Student Council President Authority…” Hayato noted.
“But that’s about it, since I told them various things about you,” Shiori added.
“Seriously…”
“Your tone dropped drastically! In fact, you look so dejected it’s worrying, are you okay!?”
Lifted up only to be spectacularly slammed back down, Kazuma shriveled up like a salted slug.
Hayato, starting to feel genuinely sorry for him, looked at Kazuma with concern.
“It’s alright, Kazuma-kun. I’m sure you’ll find a wonderful woman.”
“That’s right. She might even be surprisingly close by, you know?”
“Yukihime-senpai, Karin-senpai…!”
Seeing this, Hayato felt relieved, thinking Kazuma would be fine, but then he saw Shiori smiling eerily beside him and felt a chill.
“Fufu, with this, Kazuma-kun will probably become conscious of those girls, won’t he?”
Hayato, who didn’t miss the words that slipped quietly from Shiori’s mouth, glimpsed the scariness of girls.
Timidly peeking at Shiori’s face, Hayato was met with an unsettlingly beautiful smile, and all he could do was offer a dry laugh.
“Umm, well then, let’s end the discussion here. Shall we eat?”
Deciding that continuing was too dangerous, Hayato cut the conversation short and decided to have lunch.
During the meal, the girls were extremely curious about the bento Kazuma had brought, asking various questions, and were stunned to learn that he had made it himself.
They knew he could cook, but faced with his level of skill, all the girls could do was wave the white flag.