After Miyake and the others left, Kanda Shuichi and Ichinose also walked out of the school building and headed toward the student council.
"Um, actually, Kanda, you don't have to come with me," Ichinose said a little awkwardly. "Besides, didn't you already make plans with Hasebe and the others?"
"It's fine, they'll understand," Kanda Shuichi replied casually.
Normally, he wouldn't bail on plans, but this was different. Ichinose quitting the club and joining the student council through him was sure to upset Nagumo.
And since this was something he had asked for, Kanda Shuichi felt obligated to help Ichinose deal with Nagumo. As for Hasebe and the others, it wasn't like there was anything urgent going on.
He knew how to prioritize things, and they did too.
If someone couldn't understand that, then there was no need to deepen the relationship any further.
Ichinose felt a little bad about it, but at the same time, she was happy.
"Oh, by the way, the gift situation is all sorted out. If nothing unexpected happens, your sister should get it by Christmas."
Hearing that, Ichinose immediately lit up with joy.
"Yui will definitely be happy when she gets it!"
"Yeah, I think so too," Kanda Shuichi smiled. "She's going to love it."
"Thank you, Kanda. You've helped me so much, I don't even know how to thank you." Ichinose gave a familiar, apologetic smile.
"It's nothing. Besides, the student council work assigned to me was mostly stuff you've been doing all along, right?"
"Well, actually..."
Ichinose wanted to say that it was all part of the learning process. Rather than just helping her, it was more like she wanted to do it this way.
But she stopped herself in time—because the more she thought about it, the more she realized she hadn't actually helped Kanda Shuichi with anything...
As they continued chatting, the two of them arrived at the student council.
Ever since Horikita Manabu and the other third-years stepped down and Nagumo took over, the student council had changed a lot.
First was the office's decor.
Horikita Manabu had kept things simple and practical, but as soon as Nagumo took charge, he completely revamped the place.
Now, every corner was filled with flashy, over-the-top decorations, just like Nagumo himself.
After coming here once before, Kanda Shuichi had no desire to visit again. The only reason he was here today was because he was accompanying Ichinose—otherwise, he wouldn't have bothered.
"Well, well, look who it is! Isn't this our dear Vice President Kanda?"
The moment Kanda Shuichi pushed open the door, Nagumo greeted him with a teasing smirk.
"Good afternoon. This place is just as flashy as ever, I see."
Kanda Shuichi glanced around and couldn't help but comment on it.
Although he really wanted to put Nagumo in his place, he still had to keep up appearances. He was a civilized person, not some brute.
"So, Kanda, what brings you here today? Are you finally ready to take on your duties as Vice President?"
The one speaking was a man wearing glasses, sitting next to Nagumo at the office desk.
His name was Kiriyama, the leader of Class 2-B. When he first entered the school, he was originally a student in Class A, but within a year, Nagumo had pulled him down to Class B, and he never got the chance to climb back up.
"Spare me from that. I'm not interested in student council work," Kanda Shuichi immediately rejected Kiriyama's suggestion. "I'm here today to take care of Ichinose's matter."
"Ichinose?"
Kiriyama glanced at Ichinose Honami, who was standing behind Kanda Shuichi. Then, he looked at Nagumo before choosing to stay silent.
"President Nagumo, I want to leave the student council."
"Is something wrong, Honami? If you're having trouble, you can tell me. I might be able to help you," Nagumo said, looking at Ichinose with what he thought was a warm expression.
"Actually..."
There was no way Ichinose could bring herself to say that she wanted to leave Nagumo's faction and join Kanda Shuichi's side.
"Honami plans to leave your faction and join mine."
Seeing Ichinose's discomfort, Kanda Shuichi spoke up directly, wasting no time and making his intentions clear.
As soon as Kanda Shuichi said that, the student council office fell into complete silence.
Ichinose Honami had been recruited into the student council by Nagumo. So under the current system, she belonged to Nagumo's faction.
Everyone knew that ever since the new system was put in place, there was bound to be competition between the president and vice president. But no one expected Kanda Shuichi to openly try to take someone from Nagumo's side like this.
"Vice President Kanda, do you realize what you're saying?"
Nagumo narrowed his eyes slightly, a dangerous aura radiating from him.
"I'm saying I want Honami to leave your faction and join mine. Is there a problem, President Nagumo?"
Kanda Shuichi met Nagumo's gaze without backing down. One standing, one sitting, they locked eyes in silence.
The others in the office didn't even dare to breathe too loudly.
One was the vice president, the other was the president. The only person who could step in between them was Kiriyama, who was also a vice president.
But Kiriyama acted like he hadn't noticed anything, burying himself in his work as if none of this had anything to do with him.
As Kanda Shuichi and Nagumo Miyabi stared each other down in silence, Ichinose Honami's heart pounded, but she didn't dare to step forward or say anything.
However, the tense atmosphere didn't last long before Nagumo shifted his gaze to Ichinose Honami.
"Honami, what do you think?"
To outsiders, this question might have seemed like a simple request for Ichinose's opinion.
But Ichinose, Kanda, and Nagumo all knew the truth.
If Ichinose chose Kanda Shuichi's side now, then her secret would no longer be safe.
That secret would become a weapon used against her. That was why Kanda Shuichi had warned her not to tell anyone before.
But at this point, Nagumo already knew about it. Hiding it any longer wouldn't mean much.
So Kanda Shuichi simply used Nagumo's pressure to force Ichinose into making a choice.
To endure it, or to run away.
Kanda Shuichi had already thought about this outcome yesterday when he suggested Ichinose leave Nagumo's faction and join his own.
And Ichinose wasn't stupid. She understood that if she chose Kanda Shuichi here, Nagumo might expose her secret.
But she had already made up her mind.
Ichinose took a deep breath, then stepped forward and looked straight at Nagumo Miyabi.
"President Nagumo, Shuichi and I are both first-year students, so we sincerely apologize."
As she spoke, she bowed to Nagumo to show her apology.
Well, that was only natural. After all, Nagumo was the one who brought her in, yet now she had switched sides to Kanda Shuichi.
And with that, everyone realized one thing—Nagumo had lost. In this battle to recruit people, he had been defeated by a first-year student from Class D.
At the same time, Kiriyama lifted his head and looked at Kanda Shuichi. He couldn't understand why Horikita Manabu had chosen a student from Class 1-D to be the student council vice president.
But now, he was starting to get a bit of an idea.
Still, could he withstand Nagumo's retaliation?
Was he just a reckless rookie unafraid of danger, or did he actually have the power to stand against Nagumo? A hint of anticipation stirred in Kiriyama's heart.
Everyone was waiting for Nagumo's next move. Would he agree or reject it?
No, that didn't matter anymore. Nagumo had no choice but to agree—he couldn't stop her from leaving the student council.
And joining through Kanda's side didn't require Nagumo's approval anyway.
"I see. Got it." To everyone's surprise, Nagumo actually smiled. "But if you just want to work under Kanda, you could go straight to him. There's no need to go through the hassle of resigning and rejoining."
"No rules, no order. Since we've established faction rules, we should follow them. I wouldn't want President Nagumo to suddenly take his frustration out on my people one day. So even if it's a bit troublesome, it's fine. Besides, Honami is already familiar with the process."
Kanda Shuichi saw through Nagumo's little trick immediately and called him out on it directly. He even went out of his way to praise Ichinose in front of Nagumo.
However, Nagumo didn't get angry. Instead, he just looked a little disappointed.
"I see. Well then, Honami should know the procedure well, so just go ahead with it."
Seeing Nagumo finally relent, Kanda Shuichi smirked mockingly. Then, he picked up two forms from his desk—one for joining and one for resigning.
"Well then, we'll be taking our leave."
"No need to rush off, Kanda." Nagumo stood up and walked over. "Lately, I've been finding school a bit boring, so I'm thinking of introducing some new policies. I'd like your input."
"Oh? And what kind of policies are we talking about?" Kanda Shuichi turned to Nagumo.
"Kanda, this school values strength above all else, wouldn't you agree?"
"That's true."
"Then don't you think physical strength is a part of that as well?" Nagumo narrowed his eyes at Kanda Shuichi.
Seriously? I thought he was going to say something important, but this is it?
"Of course it is. Violence can't solve everything, but there are problems that can be easily settled with it. Though personally, I don't encourage violence."
Hearing that, Nagumo nodded in satisfaction.
"I think so too. That's why I plan to allow fights to a certain extent. After all, teenagers getting into fights is normal, isn't it?"
As he spoke, he deliberately glanced up and down at Kanda Shuichi, making no effort to hide the contempt in his eyes.
"Fair enough. So, are you planning to beat me up right here, President Nagumo?" Kanda Shuichi smiled. "But just a heads-up—I'm not in the best health. If something happens to me, you might end up in trouble with the police."
"What are you saying? I would never lay a hand on you, Kanda."
Nagumo flashed a cheerful smile. "Since you have no objections, I'll move forward with this policy."
"Well then, I'll leave it to you, President Nagumo." Kanda Shuichi smiled brightly. "If there's nothing else, I'll be going now."
"Take care. I won't see you out."
"Honami, let's go."
"Ah, okay."
After Kanda Shuichi left with Ichinose Honami, the bright smile on Nagumo's face gradually faded, replaced by a cold smirk. "Such an arrogant guy… He'll pay for it sooner or later."
Outside the room, Ichinose glanced at Kanda Shuichi with concern.
"Um, Kanda… Are you sure it's okay to fall out with Nagumo like that?"
She had been worried the whole time, but Kanda Shuichi didn't seem to care about it at all.
"You were calling me Shuichi just a moment ago, and now it's back to Kanda?"
"T-That's because..." Ichinose suddenly started stammering. "You called me by my first name first."
"I see. Then please allow me to call you by your name as well, Honami."
Looking at Kanda Shuichi's serious yet slightly amused expression, Ichinose suddenly felt at ease.
"Alright then, Shuichi."
Seeing Ichinose's reaction, Kanda Shuichi's serious expression softened, leaving only a smile.
"Here, take this. Once you're done filling it out, bring it to me for a signature."
With that, he handed her both the withdrawal and membership forms.
Ichinose took the forms and nodded firmly.
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