Rumors are a truly troublesome thing. If only people would ask me directly, I could deny them outright, but no one ever does. It's a small class of just twenty-five students, after all. It's impossible not to overhear the murmurs swirling around.
And then, at the worst possible timing, the current student council president, Mayumi, and the treasurer, Suzune, came to see me. It's no wonder the rumors gained even more traction after that.
"Tatsuya-kun, do you have a moment? If we say it's student council business, you won't get any points deducted."
"...Sure, I don't mind."
There was a slight pause before I answered because I noticed Mayumi's hands clasped together in a pleading gesture. If I'd refused, those hands might have dropped lower, shifting from "earnest entreaty" to "maiden's prayer." So I agreed quickly to head that off. Truth be told, I'd rather turn it down, but Mayumi's popularity is just as strong among the second-years as it is with everyone else. If I were to reject her "maiden's prayer," I'd be the one facing the backlash.
"In that case, sorry about this."
With that, Mayumi sat down at my desk, but then she just froze there, not moving or doing anything in particular.
"President?"
"...Ah! Sorry, sorry."
...?
I had no idea why Mayumi had suddenly gone still, but Suzune seemed to have some inkling, as a sullen air hung around her.
"Ichihara-senpai... what on earth is this about?"
"It's nothing. President, please get on with it."
"I know, I know. But... just a little longer?"
"No!"
...?
This time, it was fully the "maiden's prayer," but it had no effect on her fellow girl, Suzune. If anything, it made Suzune's mood sour even more, from what I could tell.
"Alright then, shall we go?"
"Understood."
To the classmates, Mayumi's skin seemed to have a healthier glow by the time she left the classroom, but I lack the emotional sensitivity to pick up on subtleties like that, so I didn't notice.
After Tatsuya and the others left the room, it was mostly the girls who erupted into chatter.
"So the president really does have a thing for Shibuya-kun..."
"The competition is way too fierce..."
"Even the first-years are gossiping about him."
"Is that the president election rumor? Or something else?"
In the midst of the buzzing classroom, Leo and Kanjihiko approached Erika, who wasn't joining in the fray.
"Hey, Tatsuya's pretty popular, huh?"
"...Why are you asking me?"
"Huh? Well, because Erika, you too...! Sorry, forget I said anything."
"Hmph!"
"Huh? What's that about? You must be curious!"
Kanjihiko's half-spoken words didn't register with Leo, who was genuinely puzzled. He'd hesitated because he noticed Erika's mood plummet sharply. Even he, who had a knack for stepping on landmines, must have learned his lesson this time—he stopped just short.
"Erika-chan, you know that's not fooling anyone."
"Shut up! And you, Mizuki—how do you feel about Miki?"
"!? !?"
Just as Kanjihiko dodged one mine, there was another in the class waiting to be triggered. Mizuki had stepped on it spectacularly and taken a brutal counterattack.
"What's going on?"
Oblivious to romance as ever, Leo tilted his head, his gaze drifting toward the direction Tatsuya had gone. He probably assumed Tatsuya would react the same way and lumped him in as a kindred spirit.
Unaware of the exchange unfolding in the classroom, Tatsuya settled into a chair in the student council room.
"Um... well..."
Even after summoning him, Mayumi struggled to broach the main topic. Suzune tried to lend a hand each time, but Mayumi would shoot her a look to silence her, then falter again.
"Miyuki's too young for that."
"Huh!? I haven't even said anything—how did you know!?"
"If it wasn't about that, there'd be no need to pull me out of class. You wanted to talk when Miyuki wasn't around, right?"
Tatsuya explained it all matter-of-factly, as if it were the simplest deduction in the world. Of course, he wasn't one to boast about his reasoning skills.
"But if it's Miyuki-san, I think she could handle the duties just fine."
"You think so? She's still a child."
"Didn't she become student council president in middle school?"
"I stopped her. I'm probably too overprotective, but for now, she needs to focus on mastering her magic control."
As Tatsuya himself admitted, both Mayumi and Suzune thought he fussed over her too much. But they also understood the issue he'd raised about her magic control.
"Still, there's that saying: 'The position shapes the person.' And if the first-year restriction is lifted, you could join the student council too, Tatsuya-kun."
"...If Watanabe-senpai is succeeded by Chiyoda-senpai, I doubt she'd let me go. She doesn't seem great at tidying up."
"..."
The two, who knew Mari's aversion to organization, probably pictured Hanano taking over—and the disastrous mess that would ensue in their minds, rivaling Mari's own chaos.
"Besides, if you're so set on Miyuki, why not just have Nakajou-senpai run? In terms of seniority and ability, I think she'd be the logical choice."
"But... Ah-chan's got that personality... If things stay like this, the election will be a total mess..."
"I know about that issue, but this year doesn't feel like it'll get that bad. With the president, the chairman, and the committee heads in place, it should be manageable."
"But we want to keep it as orderly as possible."
Suzune's plea made it clear she understood Tatsuya's point but still yearned for a controlled election. Tatsuya inwardly smirked, noting how unexpectedly similar she was to Mayumi in that regard.
"Then how about I convince Nakajou-senpai myself?"
"Huh? ...Really? You'd do that for Ah-chan?"
"Yes. With a year under Nakajou-senpai, Miyuki's concerns would be resolved, and I believe senpai could admirably fill the president's shoes."
"Please do! You're so reliable, Tatsuya-kun!"
Mayumi practically leaped up, grabbing Tatsuya's hand and shaking it vigorously up and down. Her chest bounced along with the motion, but there wasn't a flicker of excitement in Tatsuya's eyes.
"Should we help out too?"
"No, if Ichihara-senpai or the president are there, it might make convincing her harder. Leave it to me—I can get a satisfactory result."
"Rin-chan, let's trust Tatsuya-kun with this. We couldn't persuade her ourselves."
"Right... then, Shibuya-kun, we leave it to you."
"Understood. After school, I'll bring Miyuki and go convince Nakajou-senpai."
"Miyuki-san?"
Ignoring Mayumi's question, Tatsuya left the student council room and returned to class. Even for student council business, leaving assignments unfinished would be a problem.
Back in the classroom, he finished the assignment the rest of the class was struggling with in just ten minutes, then spent the remaining time plotting his strategy for convincing Azusa.
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