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"Oikawa-kun. Why are you in the Service Club? Shouldn't you be tutoring Kawasaki right now?"
The moment Yui walked in and saw Oikawa sitting in Hachiman's usual seat, she tilted her head in confusion.
"Until the end of his second year, Oikawa is officially a member of the Service Club. As for Hachiman, he has withdrawn from the club."
Oikawa had just opened his mouth to answer when Yukino, without even looking up from her book, beat him to it.
"Hachiman-kun quit the club? That's kind of a shame." Yui looked disappointed for all of about three seconds.
"But lately he's made a lot more friends in class. He's not nearly as gloomy as he used to be." After commenting on Hachiman, she immediately scooted over next to Oikawa, her curiosity reigniting. "Oikawa-kun, weren't you the one who hated the idea of joining the Service Club the most? What kind of dirt does Shizuka-sensei have on you that she managed to force you into it?"
Compared to Hachiman leaving, Oikawa's reason for joining was clearly the more fascinating mystery.
After all, whenever they chatted, Oikawa had never hidden his dislike for the Service Club.
At that question, even Yukino finally looked up.
Apparently, Yui wasn't the only one curious.
"Well, that's because Shizuka-sensei..."
Oikawa was just about to launch into a carefully crafted rant about the old lady when the clubroom door suddenly slid open with a sharp clack.
The moment the door opened, an icy, unreasonable gust of winter wind swept inside... Damn it, who left a window open?
The crisp clicking of high heels echoed through the room.
"I've got something I'd like your help with."
Shizuka Hiratsuka didn't bother with any pleasantries whatsoever.
At this point, Oikawa felt like Kevin Durant after joining the Golden State Warriors: an elite mercenary being worked to death by the Service Club.
"Sensei, are you seriously planning to use me until I collapse?" he complained.
And naturally, Shizuka ignored him completely.
"Sensei, I'm very busy studying, so please treat Oikawa-kun as the primary force for handling requests," Yukino said it with a perfectly straight face.
What a schemer.
Oikawa was convinced she was trying to steal his study time so she could secretly catch up and surpass him academically.
Though, realistically speaking, Yukino wasn't that petty. She probably just wanted to make his life difficult.
"Um... Oikawa-kun, I can help too!"
Yui's large eyes sparkled like stars.
Oikawa nearly felt moved to tears. Kind girls really were the best.
"Alright, Sensei. What is it this time?"
"Oh? You've accepted your fate surprisingly quickly." Shizuka shot him an amused look before turning toward the doorway. "You can come in now."
"Excuse us."
The voice was soft and familiar.
A moment later, Student Council President Meguri Shiromeguri stepped inside.
Following behind her was another girl who looked vaguely familiar.
Ah... Iroha Isshiki.
Oikawa remembered her immediately.
She was the lively girl from the bus, the one who had suddenly sat beside him and kept asking why his grades were improving so quickly.
"Meguri-senpai, long time no see." Yui greeted her happily.
Oikawa nodded as well.
"Long time no see, everyone. And oh, congratulations on ranking first in the entire second year, Oikawa-kun." Meguri smiled warmly. "You probably don't know this, but your name comes up a lot among the third-years now. Quite a few girls have even asked me about you."
Even when joking, Meguri carried an elegant gentleness.
She looked like the very image of a refined girl from an old poem.
Oikawa smiled, "Any of them cute? If so, feel free to give them my LINE ID. I've never had any objections to older girls."
"Heh. So you're not just a pervert, you're a playboy too." Yukino's voice was ice-cold.
"Oikawa-kun!!!" Yui shot to her feet and glared at him.
Then, realizing her reaction might have been a little too intense, she quickly sat back down, cheeks turning red.
"We actually came to the Service Club because we'd like some advice." After explaining their purpose, Meguri turned toward the girl behind her.
"Yui-senpai, Yukino-senpai, hello. And Oikawa-senpai, it's nice to see you again."
Yukino gave a small nod before narrowing her eyes at Oikawa.
The look on her face practically screamed: You've already started making moves on underclassmen too? Pervert.
Oikawa looked completely innocent.
He had only met Isshiki once. And he'd never had any particular thoughts about her. Seriously.
"Iroha, you know Oikawa-kun too?" Meguri asked in surprise.
Isshiki stuck out her tongue playfully, "Well, I ran into him on the bus before and wanted to ask how he improved his grades so much. Unfortunately, Oikawa-senpai wouldn't tell me his secret."
??!
Why did that sound so strangely calculated?
Almost like she was being just a little too sweet and innocent on purpose.
Under everyone's gaze, Oikawa rubbed his temples and defended himself. "I did tell you. I said I cheated. You're the one who didn't believe me."
"Scumbag." "Oikawa-kun, that's awful!"
Yukino and Yui immediately concluded that Oikawa had been brushing Isshiki off and began condemning him from the moral high ground.
Covering her mouth, Meguri chuckled softly. "You guys still get along exactly the same as before."
"Nah."
"Who would get along with a scumbag like him?"
"Oikawa-kun can be a little much sometimes, but he's actually a really good person."
Three people. Three completely different answers.
Isshiki's eyes darted back and forth between them as she tried to figure out the strange relationship they shared.
After the laughter died down, Meguri finally got to the main topic. "You all know that the student council elections are coming up soon, right?"
Oikawa had absolutely no idea.
As far as he was concerned, being a student council officer sounded even worse than being in the Service Club. Both were thankless jobs, but at least the Service Club came with free tea and delicious snacks.
Speaking of which... Where were today's snacks?
Oikawa looked around the room.
N-nothing.
His heart sank. Oh no, don't tell me they've cut employee benefits too?
"Elections?"
Yui looked confused, which told him she had never once considered running for student council either.
Probably because it sounded like a hassle.
Honestly, Yui had always been the type to lose interest after three minutes. The fact that she'd stuck with the Service Club this long was already surprising.
Only Yukino was different.
"I know. The election notice and candidate list were posted in the school bulletin."
What bulletin?
Oikawa and Yui exchanged looks.
The exact same question was written all over both their faces.
Well, whatever. As long as Yukino knew.
No, scratch that. Thank goodness Yukino knew. She really was the heart and soul of the Service Club.
"That's right." Meguri nodded approvingly. "Except for the secretary position, which still has no candidates, every other position has been announced."
She continued calmly. "The election should've happened earlier, but there weren't enough candidates, so it had to be postponed. And if we don't settle on successors soon, I can't hand over my responsibilities."
She looked genuinely troubled.
"Meguri-senpai, you shouldn't have allowed yourself to end up in such a passive position," Yukino spoke bluntly. "Honestly, the handover should've been completed around the time of the school sports festival."
"No, no." Meguri hurriedly waved her hands. "I don't really feel pressured or anything."
She smiled cheerfully. "Besides, I've already been accepted to the University of Tokyo, so I don't need to worry about entrance exams anymore."
Holy crap. A monster genius was standing right in front of him. Already accepted to the University of Tokyo?
Looking at Meguri's sincere expression, Oikawa was certain that if anyone else had said those words, he would've assumed they were shamelessly bragging.
"Your admission is already confirmed?" Yukino asked. "Congratulations, Senpai."
There wasn't even a trace of surprise in her voice, as though Meguri getting into Tokyo University was the most natural thing in the world.
Then again, both of them were academic monsters.
Yukino dominated the second year. Meguri had sat firmly at the top of the third-year rankings for years, keeping second place far behind her.
"Tokyo University..." Yui's eyes sparkled with envy. "That's amazing."
Out of everyone present, she was the only one openly impressed.
For her, Tokyo University was a dream so distant it might as well have been another world.
When university entrance exams came around, she'd probably do the same thing Hachiman planned to do and apply to private universities instead.
Her math was an absolute disaster.
Kawasaki still had time to save herself. Yui, on the other hand, had already accepted her fate.
Still, private universities were often the first choice for girls who struggled with science and math. Not having to deal with advanced mathematics freed up a lot more study time.
That was probably one reason Sobu High held so many events. Studying four subjects and studying six were entirely different workloads.
The amount of effort required wasn't even close.
"I'm sure you'll get into the school you want too, Yui." Meguri offered a gentle word of encouragement before continuing. "Anyway, I almost forgot to explain. All current student council officers have formed the Election Management Committee. We've decided to treat this as our final responsibility before graduating."
In other words... a complete change of leadership was coming.
What a mess.
Oikawa's eyes narrowed slightly.
Now he finally understood why they were having trouble finding candidates.
"This is the situation." Shizuka crossed her arms and took over. "From the school's perspective, if enough student council candidates can't be found, then the teachers will have to select suitable students from each class themselves."
Her gaze landed directly on Oikawa.
'Oh, hell no.'
Oikawa immediately shot to his feet. "Shizuka-sensei, don't worry. The Service Club will absolutely complete this request."
See? When pressure came from the outside, even an internally divided group could instantly unite as one.
Shizuka looked at him with satisfaction.
Her eyes practically said: At least you're smart enough to understand the situation.
Oikawa responded with a polite smile.
Then Yukino turned toward the girl who had been largely ignored up until now. "What about Isshiki-san?"
Although Isshiki hadn't spoken for quite a while, her eyes had been constantly moving as she observed everyone in the room. Nobody knew what she was thinking.
"Isshiki-san is running for student council president."
The moment those words left Meguri's mouth, Oikawa froze.
Maybe he shouldn't judge people so quickly, but no matter how he looked at it, the girl standing before him didn't seem particularly suited for the role of student council president.
Noticing his gaze, Isshiki smiled at him and rapidly blinked several times, looking as cute as possible.
Oikawa's first thought, however, was: Are your eyes that dry?
"Oikawa-senpai, do you think I don't fit the image of a student council president?" Isshiki said with a cute smile.
"Maybe... just a tiny little bit." He held up a finger and thumb, leaving only the slightest gap between them. The gesture happened to resemble one that was considered highly offensive in Korea.
"That's so mean, Senpai!" Isshiki placed a finger against her chin and instantly put on an expression so pitiful it looked like she might burst into tears at any moment.
Dangerous. This girl's level was high.
Oikawa immediately raised his guard and took a serious look at her for the first time.
Her medium-length ash-brown hair, combined with those naturally vulnerable-looking eyes, created an almost irresistible urge to protect her.
And that wasn't all. She had clearly altered her school uniform herself.
Her skirt was shorter than regulation length, and the collar of her blouse hung slightly looser than most girls'.
From Oikawa's angle, he could even catch glimpses of her pale collarbone.
Good grief.
Wasn't this girl basically the physical embodiment of a master manipulator?
"So what's the problem, Isshiki-san?" Yukino cut straight to the point before Yui could start scolding Oikawa again. "Do you want us to help you win the election?"
Unlike most people, Yukino was completely immune to Isshiki's act.
"No, no!" Isshiki waved her hands frantically. "I actually came to ask the senpais to help me not get elected."
"Hm?" Yukino frowned in confusion.
If she didn't want the position, why had she signed up in the first place?
"It's like this. I never actually entered myself. Someone else submitted my name." Isshiki sighed dramatically. "I don't know if it's because I attract too much attention, but things like this happen all the time. It's honestly such a burden."
She continued in the same sweetly innocent tone. "Especially since I'm the soccer club manager. I'm pretty popular with the boys, and I'm close with Hayama-senpai and a lot of the upperclassmen too. Maybe that's why people think I'd make a great student council president."
Woman. What exactly are you trying to accomplish here?
If Hachiman hadn't left the Service Club, he would have been unleashing a nonstop stream of internal commentary right now. Actually, so would Zaimokuza.
From what Oikawa could tell, Isshiki was the kind of girl who naturally floated through every social circle.
The whole student council nomination was probably the work of some girl in her class who couldn't stand her.
To be honest, with Isshiki's personality and the way she presented herself, it wasn't hard to imagine why some girls disliked her.
"If you're running for president, don't you need signatures on a nomination petition?" Oikawa asked I thought you needed at least thirty signatures."
The petition requirement existed to ensure candidates had a minimum level of support before entering the election.
Looking at it that way... It also gave a rough estimate of how many girls might have it out for Isshiki.
Thirty people.
Being disliked by that many people at once was almost impressive.
"That's right." Isshiki lowered her head slightly. "I guess a lot of people really do like me. Hehe~"
And somehow, even while saying that, she still sounded impossibly calculating.
But nobody pursued the topic any further.
Yui raised her hand, "Can't you just withdraw?"
"Can't," Meguri answered. "Only a homeroom teacher has the authority to remove a candidate. As for Isshiki-san's homeroom teacher... well..."
She hesitated. "Let's just say he has the energy of a shonen manga protagonist."
Everyone immediately understood.
Oikawa's mind instantly jumped to Uzumaki Naruto.
From that teacher's perspective, he'd probably support Isshiki with everything he had.
In a way, that actually made him a pretty good teacher.
"Oh! Then what about saying she's only a first-year student, so she can't be president?" Yui offered another suggestion.
Yukino shook her head. "There is no rule stating that first-year students can't become student council president. It's just that the position has traditionally been held by second-years. An unwritten rule, nothing more."
Silence settled over the Service Club once again.
Yet Isshiki didn't seem particularly worried. She kept smiling as she looked directly at Oikawa.
As if she were convinced he would come up with a solution.
Oikawa rubbed his forehead. He had no idea where her confidence in him came from.
That said... He actually did have an idea.
Whether it was a good idea or not was another matter entirely.
After a brief pause, Oikawa finally spoke.
"Well... I do have a solution. It's just not exactly the conventional kind."
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