"What do you mean, 'Do you like this city?'" Hara Kei thought to himself, a mix of amusement and exasperation twisting his expression. What kind of loser from the provinces asks something like that?
He glanced down slightly and noticed that Yukinoshita Yukino seemed to have realized her own question might have been awkward. She was trying hard to suppress her expression, but the small, coin-shaped ears peeking out from her long, black hair had already flushed a brilliant red.
If he stayed silent any longer, she might actually die of embarrassment. Out of the refined consideration of a gentleman, Hara Kei finally decided to answer after a moment of thought:
"I don't know. I've never really thought about it."
"Eh?"
"So my answer is… 'I don't care.'"
That was the truth. It wasn't like he liked it or disliked it—he simply didn't care. It made no difference to his daily life whether he liked the city or hated it. Why waste energy on a meaningless question?
"…Huh."
Yukino's face puffed up slightly, annoyed, but words failed her. Hara Kei seemed to notice her subtle displeasure, and his response didn't stop there.
"Instead of worrying about trivial things like this, it's better to focus on something more practical. For example…" Hara Kei paused briefly, then continued, "…your class cliques and the discrimination at school."
The summer rain fell in torrents; under the shared umbrella, the temperature had dropped noticeably.
Hara Kei had hit one of Yukino's most sensitive nerves—but it was deliberate.
Shizuka Hiratsuka probably intended to bridge the distance between him and Yukino, to turn them into the mutually reliant pair that existed in the original story, hoping this would help correct his eccentric personality while giving lonely Yukino someone to rely on. But this, of course, was not Hara Kei's intention.
Still, out of his lingering fondness for the characters from his previous life—and a twinge of guilt—he didn't want to bluntly reject her. So he decided to take another approach: divert her interest elsewhere while subtly resolving her problem.
"…You know about me?" Yukino asked cautiously.
"Although I pride myself on focus and self-discipline, I'm not deaf. I've heard of your nickname—the 'Cinderella from the Countryside.'"
Yukino stopped in her tracks, and Hara Kei did the same, preventing the situation from devolving into cold raindrops pelting their faces. Yet her gaze was sharp enough to pierce through steel. Only now did Hara Kei understand the origin of her 'Snow Woman' nickname.
"Calm down, Yukinoshita," he said. "In this matter, I'm on your side."
Hara Kei wasn't intimidated by her icy stare. Not even his hand holding the umbrella trembled, and his voice remained clear amid the patter of the rain.
In negotiation, the most important rule is to make the other party believe that you are on the same side—not opponents, but allies sharing the same stakes. Hara Kei knew this well.
"I'm not saying this to mock you," he continued earnestly, "but because I genuinely want to solve the problem."
Perhaps moved by his sincerity, the frozen edge of Yukino's demeanor began to thaw slightly.
"So… how?" she asked.
"First, you have to see the root of the problem. Discrimination and bullying exist because of human nature—strong oppressing weak. The solution is… simple." Hara Kei looked at her thoughtfully as he spoke. "Become strong."
"'Strong'…" Yukino repeated the word, pondering.
"Yes. Strong," he emphasized. "Everyone has their own definition, but at St. Eden Academy, there is a group universally recognized as 'strong.' That group is—"
"The Student Council!"
Exactly. In this school, which existed as part of the game's world, certain elements were deliberately exaggerated. One of them was well known across countless second-dimensional works: the Student Council wielded tremendous power.
And at St. Eden, that power was derived from—
"Three billion yen," Hara Kei said casually.
"Three billion yen?" Yukino echoed, baffled.
"That's the Student Council's annual budget."
Even for a daughter of the Yukinoshita family, that number was dizzying. Three billion yen was comparable to the annual budget of a mid-sized company in Sakurajima—but here, it was fully controlled by the students.
Of course, the money would not go to waste. St. Eden was a massive unified middle-and-high school with thousands of students and hundreds of clubs, many of which were national champions in sports or the arts. Such astronomical sums were easily absorbed by student activities.
Money equals power. With this power, members of the Student Council weren't merely "one among many"—they were the many. In fact, in the game from Hara Kei's previous life, becoming Student Council President was a mainline route, complete with achievement rewards.
By joining the Student Council, even a "Cinderella from the countryside" could become a beloved white princess. This, Hara Kei judged, was the perfect solution for Yukinoshita Yukino.
He recalled that her original goal in the story was to enter politics—so running for Student Council should align perfectly with her ambitions. Focused on this, her attention would naturally shift to the campaign, and Hara Kei could return to his preferred solitary life.
No one would be hurt.
"So… we just have to run for Student Council?" she asked.
"Yes… wait. 'We'?"
"Yes. 'I'm your ally.' Didn't you just say that yourself?"
Yukino blinked, curious. "Shizuka-sensei told me you're an outsider too, like me. Which means your school life must have been just as difficult as mine."
Before Hara Kei could reply, she lowered her gaze, deep in thought, considering how they might join the Student Council together. Her long legs, clad in black stockings, swung lightly as she resumed walking toward the station.
He wanted to tell himself that those other insects weren't worth worrying about—but looking at her, he realized that reasoning would fall flat. Well, he thought, today's plan is already mostly successful. A little imperfection is fine.
Hara Kei shrugged and followed steadily under the large umbrella.
Under the canopy, harmony and quiet were restored.